System and Methods for Enhancing the Experience of Spectators Attending a Live Sporting Event, with Bookmark Setting Capability

ABSTRACT

A handheld electronic device for use at a venue hosting a live sporting event, having a receiver for receiving a wireless RF transmission conveying a plurality of video streams derived from video cameras filming the live sporting event, a display and a user interface for selecting a video stream among the plurality of video streams to be displayed on the display. The handheld electronic device is capable to acquire a locked mode of operation and an unlocked mode of operation, in the locked mode of operation the handheld electronic device being precluded from displaying the video streams to a spectator, in the unlocked mode of operation the handheld electronic device being enabled to display the video streams to the spectator, the handheld electronic device capable to acquire the unlocked mode of operation in response to reception of authentication data wirelessly transmitted to the handheld electronic device.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit under 35 USC 119(e) of: U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 60/701,473 filed on Jul. 22, 2005 byJean Arseneau et al. and hereby incorporated by reference herein; U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 60/778,363 filed on Mar. 3, 2006 byJean Arseneau et al. and hereby incorporated by reference herein; andU.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/789,911 filed on Apr. 7, 2006by Jean Arseneau and hereby incorporated by reference herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

Broadly stated the invention relates to a system allowing wirelessdistribution of event-related video and/or audio content. The inventionalso extends to individual components of the system and associatedmethods of operation and use.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The concept of delivering video and/or audio content to spectatorsattending a live sporting event is known. The typical approach uses alocal transmission station that will deliver video and/or audio contentover the air to handheld electronic devices operated by individualspectators. A spectator can select the particular video/audio stream ofinterest on the handheld electronic device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

As embodied and broadly described herein, the invention provides ahandheld electronic device for use at a venue hosting a live sportingevent, comprising:

-   -   a) a receiver for receiving a wireless RF transmission        containing a plurality of video streams conveying live sporting        event content, the live sporting event content including moving        images of action occurring at the live sporting event held at        the venue;    -   b) a display;    -   c) a user interface for selecting a video stream among the        plurality of video streams to be displayed on the display;    -   d) the user interface allowing a spectator using the handheld        electronic device to set a bookmark for marking a location in        the video stream being displayed on the display.

As embodied and broadly described herein, the invention provides a datastructure embedded in a wireless RF signal, the wireless RF signal beingintended for reception by a plurality of handheld electronic devices foruse at a venue hosting a live sporting event, the data structurecomprising:

-   -   a) a plurality of video streams conveying live sporting event        content for display at the handheld electronic devices, the live        sporting event content including moving images of action        occurring at the live sporting event held at the venue,;    -   b) bookmark data for marking a location in one of the video        streams.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A detailed description of examples of implementation of the presentinvention is provided below with reference to the following drawings, inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the overall system architecture;

FIG. 2 is a detailed block diagram of a head end;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a handheld electronic device;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the handheld electronic device;

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating a handheld electronic deviceauthentication process;

FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating a video viewing process;

FIGS. 7 to 18 are examples of screen views on the handheld electronicdevice illustrating typical information that can be delivered to thespectator;

FIG. 19 is diagram of a variant of the system where the individualhandheld electronic devices are provided with a bidirectionalcommunication capability;

FIG. 20 is a flowchart of a process for managing trivia/survey/gamedata;

FIG. 21 is a block diagram of a system for performing online servicepurchase and handheld electronic device management;

FIGS. 22 to 24 illustrate dialog boxes of a user interface allowing thespectator to enter information for performing on-line service purchasesand handheld electronic device management;

FIG. 25 is a high level block diagram of the handheld electronic deviceshowing components to perform authentication function;

FIG. 26 is a block diagram of a processor that is external of thehandheld electronic device to generate a user code; and

FIG. 27 is a block diagram of an authentication processor shown in FIG.25.

In the drawings, embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way ofexample. It is to be expressly understood that the description anddrawings are only for purposes of illustration and as an aid tounderstanding, and are not intended to define the limits of theinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 illustrates an overall system architecture, in accordance with anon-limiting example of implementation of the present invention. Thesystem designated by the reference numeral 10 is intended to be usedtypically at a live sporting event. A live sporting event is a gatheringof a large number of people, several hundreds or more, attending apublic performance. Examples of live sporting events include but are notlimited to:

-   -   A motor sport event, such as a car race, or motorcycle race;    -   A golf game;    -   A football game;    -   A soccer game    -   A baseball game    -   A hockey game;    -   A tennis game;    -   A horse race;    -   A polo game;    -   A basketball game;    -   The Olympic games

The system 10 delivers to spectators attending the live sporting eventvideo, audio and data content. For clarity, the invention can be used inconnection with a wide variety of live sporting events without departingfrom the spirit of the invention. Accordingly, while the examples ofimplementation provided in this specification are made in connectionwith a car race, this should not be considered as a limiting feature.

As shown in FIG. 1, the system 10 includes a head end 12, a transmitter14 and a number of handheld electronic devices 16, each electronicdevice 16 being intended to be used by a single spectator. While asingle electronic device 16 is shown, in most practical applicationsalmost any number of handheld electronic devices 16 can be accommodated.For instance, in a car race that may attract several tens of thousandsof attendees, the head end 12 and the transmitter 14 can support anequal number of handheld electronic devices 16.

The transmitter 14 communicates with the individual handheld electronicdevices 16 in a wireless manner. In the example that is being shown inthe drawings, the communication is a Radio Frequency (RF) communication.This RF transmission is unidirectional. In other words, the informationflow is from the transmitter 14 to each electronic device 16. This isaccomplished in the broadcast mode wherein each electronic device 16receives the same information from the transmitter 14. In theunidirectional RF transmission, the handheld electronic devices 16 areunable to transmit information back to the transmitter 14 over thewireless RF communication link.

In a non-limiting example of implementation the wireless RF transmissionis performed locally of the venue. “Locally of the venue” means that theantenna generating the wireless RF transmission originates either at thevenue or outside the venue but generally close to the venue. The signalpower level is also controlled such that handheld electronic receivers16 can adequately receive the wireless RF transmission at the venue, butat significant distances from the venue the signal weakens and may nolonger permit a quality reception. By “significant” distance is meant adistance in terms of kilometer range.

It should be understood that the handheld electronic devices 16 arecapable of unidirectional wireless communication, as described above, oralternatively, they can be capable of bidirectional wirelesscommunication. In the case of unidirectional wireless communication, thehandheld electronic devices 16 are only able to receive wirelessinformation. In other words, they are not able to transmit informationback to the transmitter 14, or to another entity, over a wirelesscommunication link. It should be appreciated that although the handheldelectronic devices 16 may only be capable of unidirectional wirelesscommunication, they may be operative to transmit and receive informationover a wireline link, such as via a USB connection port, for example.

In the case of bidirectional wireless communication, each electronicdevice 16 is able to receive information over a wireless communicationlink, and is also able to transmit information over a wirelesscommunication link. In this case the electronic device 16 is providedwith an RF transceiver (not shown in the drawings) that can handle thereceive and transmit functions. The transmitted information may be sentto an entity of the system 10 (not shown), or to an entity that belongsto an external network. The handheld electronic devices 16 may beoperable to transmit information over a wireless RF communication link,such as over a cellular link. In the case of a cellular link, thehandheld electronic devices 16 would dial a phone number and thentransmit information to the receiver/transceiver over the cellular link.Certain situations in which it may be preferable for the handheldelectronic devices 16 to have bidirectional wireless communicationcapability will be described in more detail further on in thespecification.

The bi-directional communication feature may be implemented to provideidentical or similar bandwidths over the receive and transmit links.However, in most cases, this is not necessary since the amount ofinformation that needs to be sent from the handheld electronic device 16is generally different from the amount of information that it needs toreceive. Typically, the handheld electronic device 16 needs to send farless information than that it receives. The implementation using thecellular network is an example that would provide a sufficient bandwidthover the transmit link. By “cellular” network is meant a network thatuses a series of cells having a limited geographical extent within whichcommunication services are available. In one possible form ofimplementation, such cells can be arranged to provide a hand-off tomoving handheld electronic devices 16, such that as a handheldelectronic device 16 moving outside a cell and entering a new cell, thecommunication services as seamlessly transferred from one cellinfrastructure to another cell infrastructure. The “cellular” networkterminology encompasses both communication infrastructures usinglicensed bandwidth, such as typical cellular telephones based on CodeDivision Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA),Groupe Station Mobile (GSM), or other technologies, and communicationinfrastructures using unlicensed bandwidth, such as Wireless Fidelity(WiFi) that is used commonly to provide wireless access to computernetworks. Another possible example of a “cellular” technology usingunlicensed bandwidth is the so called “Bluetooth” protocol that providesvery short range wireless communication capabilities.

The cellular link allows the electronic device 16 to transmitinformation over a relatively limited bandwidth, however, in most casesthe amount of information that needs to be sent is low such theavailable bandwidth should suffice. On the other hand, the receive linkhas a higher bandwidth in order to accommodate the multiple videostreams and the other data that is to be sent to the electronic device16. Also the cellular link allows the handheld electronic devices 16 totransmit information independently from one another.

The head end 12 receives content that originates from various sources.The content can be formatted or edited before being input into the headend 12. In the example shown in FIG. 1, a number of content sources areshown, which for the purposes of the present application will bedescribed in the context of a car race. There are multiple video feeds31 that originate from cameras along the racetrack or at locationsadjacent to the racetrack such as the pits. The cameras capture imagesof the live sporting event and output the video information making upthe respective video feeds. Multiple audio feeds 32 are also provided,where each audio feed 32 is associated with a video feed 31. An audiofeed 32 conveys audio information such as the noise picked up by amicrophone at a location at which the associated camera is placed, or anaudio commentary. Such audio commentary can be the speech picked up by amicrophone from a commentator or any individual that appears in one ormore of the video feeds. Independent audio feeds 32 are also providedthat convey independent audio content which is not associated with anyparticular video content. For instance those independent audio feeds 32may be radio conversations between drivers and the pit crew. Such audioconversations are picked up by an array of radio scanners 15 each tunedto a particular frequency allocated to a given race team.

The audio and video data is typically supplied by the authority managingthe live sporting event. For example, in the case of a car race, thevideo and audio data might by supplied by the National Association forStock Car Racing (NASCAR). In a further non-limiting example, theindependent audio feeds that contain audio commentary may be supplied bythe commentator's affiliated television network, such as TSN, forexample.

The content sources also include real time data content 35. The realtime data content 35 conveys information relating to the action thespectator sees. For example, the real time data content in the contextof motor sports, such as a car race, can be time and rankinginformation, lap times, position of the various cars on the track,physiological information about a driver, among many others. The realtime data content is typically also supplied by the authority managingthe live sporting event.

The video feeds 31 and the audio feeds 32 (except the independent audiofeeds) are edited at a content production station 20. The contentproduction station 20 is not part of the system and it merely provides afacility where a technician can format or edit the raw content to makeit more suitable for presentation to the audience. The contentproduction station 20 includes a console that allows the technician toconduct the necessary content editing operations. The content productionstation 20 does not form part of the invention.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the head end 12 receives sevendifferent inputs. Those inputs are broadly described below:

-   -   1. The first input, designated by reference numeral 100 includes        the multiple edited video feeds that are transmitted according        to a Serial Digital Interface (SDI) format.

2. The second input 200 includes the multiple edited audio feeds 32 thatare associated with respective video feeds 31. Those audio feeds 32 aretransmitted in analog format. For instance, each audio feed 32 may besent in a separate frequency band.

3. The third input 300 includes the independent audio feeds 33, whichare also transmitted in analog format sent over independent frequencybands. As indicated earlier, an independent audio feed 33 may conveyvoice conversations, audio commentaries, etc . . . , picked up by aradio scanner 15.

4. The fourth input 400 includes the real time data content 35 that istransmitted digitally to the head end 12. In one non-limiting example,the real-time data content includes information relating to the livesporting event, such as for example scoring and participant rankinginformation, among others. In the specific example of a car racingevent, the real-time information can include:

-   -   the current ranking;    -   number of laps remaining;    -   participants still in the race;    -   participants no longer in the race;    -   fastest lap of the current leader or of anyone of the        participants;    -   average speed of the current leader or of anyone of the        participants, among others;    -   present speed of any one of the participants;    -   Revolutions Per Minute (RPM) of the engine of anyone of the        participants;    -   The engaged gear in the transmission of any one of the        participants;

In another example, the real-time data content can also conveyphysiological information associated with anyone of the participants.Again in the context of a car race, the physiological information caninclude the heart rate of the driver or his body temperature, amongothers. The real time data content is usually available from theauthority sanctioning the live sporting event. In the case of thephysiological information, one possible implementation would requireproviding one or more of the participants with the necessary sensorsthat measure the heart rate, body temperature, etc and convey thecollected information to the head end 12 such that it can be included inthe wireless RF transmission. It is not deemed necessary to describe indetail how the physiological information is collected and delivered tothe head end 12, since this would be known to a person skilled in theart.

5. The fifth input 500 includes authentication data received from anauthentication database 502. The authentication data 500 is digitallytransmitted to the head end 12.

6. The sixth input 600 includes ancillary content that is output from anancillary information database 602. The ancillary content 600 can be inthe form of video, audio or data, such as text for display to thespectator. Examples of ancillary content includes:

-   -   a) Advertisement content. The advertisement content can be        delivered in the form of video, audio or a combination of video        and audio. Examples include short movies, still images, or        portions of still images appearing as overlays on other video        content appearing on the spectator's screen. The advertisement        content can be delivered in a wide variety of ways. Examples        include:        -   (1) A first possibility is to broadcast the advertisement            content such that it is played at each electronic device 16.            In this fashion each spectator is exposed to the same            content. Ads can be channeled to the handheld electronic            devices 16 over individual video/audio streams such that the            spectator can select when to view the ads or not view the            ads. For example, the electronic device 16 can be programmed            in a way to allow the spectator to access a special add            channel that continuously runs the ads content.            Alternatively, ads can be inserted in the video/audio            streams that convey the event-related content. The insertion            of the ads can be done upon occurrence of one or more            predetermined events during the game. For example, during            idle times, ads can be run. Such ads can be in the form of            short movies that are played on the electronic device 16 for            a predetermined time period, such as 30 seconds. Another            possibility is to present the ads as banners, logos or in a            “ticker” type fashion that appears on certain areas of the            screen of the handheld electronic device 16.        -   (2) A second possibility is to deliver the ad content            according to spectator profiles. The ads are organized into            blocks, where each block corresponds to a spectator profile.            Spectator profiles can be defined in various ways, such as            age groups, gender, level of revenue, area of interest or            combinations of the above, among many others. For instance,            with profiles that are distinguished from one another on the            basis of gender, ads that are intended to attract the            interest of males can be directed in one profile while ads            that are more likely to be of interest to females can be            placed in the other profile. In the case of profiles that            are distinguished on the basis of revenue level, ads on            products or services would be placed in profiles according            to the cost of the product or service; more expensive            products or services would be placed in profiles associated            with higher revenue levels.    -   b) Venue or event related contextual content. In the case of        motor sports, such as car races, the contextual content may        include information about the track or venue, such as:        -   a map of the track and/or of the venue        -   the history of the track and/or venue;        -   the list of the racing teams;        -   the information about each team;        -   information about the drivers and cars;        -   instructions on where to find certain facilities at the            venue such as washrooms, vending machines or stands, among            many others.    -   c) News. The news content may include “breaking” news bulletins,        weather information, and economic information such as stock        exchange averages or indices, among others.    -   d) Environmental conditions. In the case of certain events, such        as golf games, environmental conditions can greatly affect the        way the game is played. As such, information relating to        environmental conditions such as:        -   current temperature;        -   wind speed;        -   wind direction;        -   humidity;        -   weather forecast.    -   e) Shopping Information. A shopping service may be provided to a        spectator in order to enable the spectator to purchase products        or services related to the live sporting event, such as        T-shirts, caps, related sporting equipment and autographed items        from the players or participants. The shopping information may        be displayed in the form of an electronic catalogue of        purchasable items that lists the products and paraphernalia that        are for sale. The shopping catalogue may also include products        from the sponsors of the sporting event.    -   In a non-limiting example of implementation, the advertisement        information described above in paragraph a) may be tied into the        shopping service. For example, during the sporting event, the        advertisement information may indicate to a spectator that        products from the event's sponsors are available for purchase in        the shopping catalogue. In addition, when an exciting event        occurs in the live sporting event, such as a winner of the event        is determined the advertisement information can indicate to a        spectator that T-shirts and other items associated with the        winner of the event can be bought via the shopping catalogue.    -   In order to purchase products from the shopping catalogue, a        spectator would add selected items to a virtual “shopping cart”        and then “checkout”.    -   In the case where the electronic device 16 is only capable of        unidirectional wireless communication, the spectator would then        have to physically connect the electronic device 16 (via a USB        port, for example) to a purchasing terminal located at the        sporting event, or to their PC when they arrive home. The        purchasing information would then be downloaded from the        electronic device 16 to the terminal or PC, which can then        transmit the information to the appropriate entity.    -   Alternatively, in the case where the electronic device 16 is        capable of bidirectional wireless communication, as described        above, the purchasing information can be sent immediately over a        wirelessly communication link, to an appropriate        receiver/transmitter to complete the on-line purchase. The        appropriate receiver/transmitter may be part of the system 10,        or may be part of an external network.    -   f) Trivia games and/or Surveys. During the course of a live        sporting event, the handheld electronic device 16 can present to        the spectator a series of questions in the form of either a        trivia game or a survey. This could be done either to gather        information from the spectator or to entertain the spectator        during the idle time of the live sporting event. The spectator        would be able to respond to the questions, which may be in        yes/no format, or multiple choice format, via a user interface        of the electronic device 16.    -   In the case where the electronic device 16 is only capable of        unidirectional wireless communication, the spectator would        physically connect the device (via a USB port, for example) to a        terminal located at the live sporting event, or to a PC when        they arrive home, in order to transmit their answers to an        external device. This information can then be transmitted to the        appropriate entity. In the case where the questions are in the        form of a trivia game, by submitting the spectator's answers to        the game, the spectator may be eligible to win a prize.    -   Alternatively, in the case where the device is capable of        bidirectional wireless communication, as described above, the        answers to the trivia or survey questions can be sent via a        wireless communication link, such as a wireless RF link (for        example a cellular link) directly to an entity that is        monitoring the results. Ideally, in the case of a trivia game        scenario, numerous spectators at the live sporting event could        respond to the questions in real time, such that the results        could be compiled and conveyed to the crowd almost immediately.        The excitement created by a real-time trivial game, that awarded        prizes to participants, could help to enhance the spectators'        enjoyment of the live sporting event. The trivia/survey can be        conditioned on the way the live sporting event unfolds. For        instance, the trivia is designed such as to produce questions in        connection with the participant that leads the race. Generally,        the service data that is sent periodically to the handheld        electronic devices 16 would include the information allowing        each handheld electronic device 16 to display question and        answer choices. The answer by the spectator can be collected as        described earlier. Another option is to send along with the        trivia/survey questions the answers such that the spectator can        see if he or she has provided the correct response to the        question. In this case the trivia/survey is provided for        enjoyment by the spectator, without any centralized collection        of the answers.

7. Finally, the seventh input 700 includes service data. The servicedata resides in a database 702. This database can also connect to theInternet to obtain updates or program releases that may not be availableprior the beginning of the event being serviced by the system 10.Examples of service data include:

-   -   a) Data for setting the software running each electronic device        16 (For the purpose of this specification “setting” means either        altering the software that may already be in the electronic        device 16 or loading new software that was not present in the        electronic device 16). For example, the service data may be used        to upload an entirely new or portions of a Graphical User        Interface (GUI) to the handheld electronic devices 16 in order        to customize the handheld electronic devices 16 for the event.        One example of a portion of a GUI that can upload is data that        forms a menu on the electronic device 16. The menu is such as to        provide the spectator with a list of options. Another GUI        element can be graphical information that can be tailored to the        event, such as background images on which other GUI elements can        be displayed to the spectator. The service data may upload the        Graphical User Interface (GUI) in multiple different languages        so as to provide multiple language support to the spectators        using the handheld electronic devices 16. In this manner,        spectators using the handheld electronic devices 16 can select        their language of preference. The choice of language may be        presented to the spectators in an initial start-up screen that        is displayed upon powering up the electronic device 16.        Specifically, the following components of the user interface can        be set via the service data:        -   i) Background image information;            -   As discussed above this is the graphical information                associated with the user interface.        -   ii) Menu structure and look;            -   This refers to the option items of the menu, in                particular the options hierarchy, the options themselves                (what are the options available to the spectator from                which the spectator can select an action), the graphical                elements of the menu, such as the disposition of the                option items on the display, color and shape of the                option items, etc.        -   iii) Soft keys layout and look (soft keys will be discussed            later);            -   The aesthetical components of soft keys, such as their                location on the screen, their shape, color, etc.        -   iv) Soft keys assignments;            -   The functions assigned to the respective soft keys        -   v) Layout of icons on the display;            -   The appearance and disposition of the icons on the                display screen        -   vi) Navigation mechanisms            -   The type of navigation mechanisms to which the user                interface responds, such as up, down, left and right                arrows, pointing devices, voice recognition, etc.    -   b) Cartographic data that can be used by the electronic device        16 to display a map of the venue or a portion thereof. The        cartographic data can be used as in a standalone manner to show        on the display of the handheld electronic device 16 a map of the        venue that can be zoomed in or out to the desired degree of        detail or panned to show different areas of the map.        Alternatively, the cartographic data can be used in conjunction        with a coordinates receiver, such as a Global Positioning System        (GPS) receiver that can generate the coordinates of the location        of the electronic device 16. The coordinates can then be used to        show on the display the map of the venue and point the location        of the electronic device 16. The cartographic data can also        include specific locations of interest such as washrooms,        vending stands, parking, etc. When the cartographic data is        intended to work with location information generated by a GPS        receiver or any other suitable device capable of producing        location information it will typically be georeferenced. For        maps that are not intended to work with devices producing        location information, such georeferencing is not required since        the map is processed simply as an image to be viewed by the        spectator.    -   c) Video game data for allowing the spectators at the individual        handheld electronic devices 16 to play one or more video games.        The video game data contains program code for execution by the        processor of the electronic device 16 to enable the spectator to        play a video game on the display of the handheld electronic        device 16. The video game that is used for the entertainment of        the spectator has images that can be manipulated on the display.        The video game is controlled via the user interface.

The ancillary content 600 can be obtained from a wide variety ofsources. The advertisement, shopping, venue or event related informationcan be recorded on any suitable medium and injected in the video/audiocontent at the head end 12. Specifically, the advertisement, shopping,venue or event related information could be digitally stored on adatabase 602. The output of the database 602 leads to the head end 12such that the video/audio content in the database 602 can be injected inthe video/audio content that is being broadcast to the handheldelectronic devices 16. The Internet is another source of ancillarycontent. Specifically, the news service can be delivered from theinternet and injected in the video/audio content that is being broadcastto the handheld electronic devices 16.

FIG. 2 shows a more detailed block diagram of the head end 12. The headend 12 organizes the data from the various inputs into a structuredinformation stream for broadcasting to the individual handheldelectronic devices 16. The head end 12 has a video processor 40, anaudio processor 42, a control entity 44 and a multiplexer 46. Thecontrol entity 44 includes a computing platform running a program tocarry out various tasks. While not shown in the drawings, the computingplatform includes a processor, memory to hold the program code and datathat is being processed by the processor. In addition, the computingplatform has a Graphical User Interface (GUI) 48 that provides atechnician with the ability to send commands to the control entity 44 orto receive information therefrom. The GUI 48 can take various formswithout departing from the spirit of the invention. For instance, theGUI 48 can include a display on which information is shown to thetechnician and a keyboard and mouse combination for data and commandsentry.

The control entity 44 receives the various forms of information and willdirect them to the appropriate encoders for processing. Specifically,all the video feeds that are received at the first input of the controlentity 44 are switched to a video processor 40 that will convert the SDIformat into Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG)—4 format. Each videostream is compressed to provide at the handheld electronic device amoving image at 30 Frames per second (fps), 16 bit colors at a 320×240pixels resolution. The resulting bit rate is 384 Kbits/sec. Since thevideo processor 40 needs to handle multiple video feeds simultaneouslyit is designed in order to be able to process those feeds in parallel.The preferred form of implementation uses a plurality of encoderstations, each being assigned a video feed 31. The encoder stations canbe based on dedicated video processing chips or purely on software, or acombination of both. Alternatively, the video processor 40 can use asingle processing module with buffering capabilities to sequentiallyhandle blocks of data from different video feeds 31. With an adequatesize buffer and a processing module that is fast enough, all the videofeeds 31 can be encoded without causing loss of data.

In a non-limiting example of implementation, the encoder stations of thevideo processor 40 are operative to encode “bookmarks” data into thevideo feeds. The “bookmarks” data acts as pointers to specific portionsof the video feed. Generally, these pointers are included to markportions of the video feed that might be of interest to a spectator ofthe electronic device 16 to view.

For example, if the live sporting event is a car race, and one of thevideo feeds includes footage of a car crash, the encoder that isformatting that video feed 31 may include a “bookmark” data that pointsto the location in the video feed where the car crash commenced. Assuch, when the video feed is sent to the electronic device 16, thespectator is informed that there is a bookmark associated with the carcrash, and by selecting the bookmark, the electronic device 16 plays thevideo feed starting at the portion pointed to by the “bookmark” data. Assuch, the electronic device 16 will display the specific portions of thevideo that relate to the car crash. This feature is particularly usefulwhen the electronic device 16 has video playback capabilities, hence thespectator can play back the video content and use the bookmarks asreference to find events of interest. Other examples where a bookmarkmay be used include a football event. Bookmark data can be placed in thevideo feed when a touchdown occurs, such that the spectator can easilylocate the salient parts of the game. The decision to place bookmarkdata in a video feed is taken by the individual that manages the headend 12 or any other person that has content editing responsibilities.The bookmark data is generated by the head end 12, in response to inputfrom the operator on the user interface 48. The use of “bookmarks” willbe described in more detail further on in the description. Note thatsince MPEG-4 encoding also handles audio, the audio feeds 32 that areassociated with the respective video feeds 31 are also directed to thevideo processor 40. The output of the video processor 40 is thus MPEG-4encoded video channels where each channel has a video stream portion andan audio stream portion.

The independent audio feeds 31 that are received at the third input 300are directed to an audio processor 42 that will encode them into aMoving Pictures Experts Group Audio layer 3 (MP3) format. Since the MP3encoded video feed 31 convey voice information they can be compressedinto an 8 Kbits/sec data rate while maintaining adequate quality. As inthe case with the video processor 40, the audio processor 42 uses aseries of audio encoding stations, each dedicated to a given audio feed(from the second input and the third input). Alternatively, the audioprocessor 42 can use a single sufficiently fast encoding module havingbuffering capabilities to sequentially handle data blocks from all theaudio feeds 32.

As will be described in more detail further on in the specification, theencoding stations can encode each audio feed such that the transmitter14 and/or the handheld electronic devices 16 can detect based on theencoding whether the feed is active or inactive. An active audio streamis an audio stream that conveys some type of information the spectatorcan understand. In contrast, an inactive audio stream is a stream thatthat conveys no such information, such as low intensity noise, forexample silence. Specifically, the encoding station can be provided withlogic that detects the level of activity in the signal in an attempt torecognize if the signal carries active speech or sounds or simply lowintensity noise. The logic rules allowing to discriminate between activeaudio and silence are generally well known and do not need to bedescribed in detail. One specific possibility is to monitor the signallevel or the degree of energy conveyed by the signal and use a thresholdas a decision making point. Anything below the threshold is consideredto be low intensity noise, such as silence while everyting above isactive audio information, such as speech. The condition of the audiostream, in other words either silence or active audio information can becommunicated to the handheld electronic device 16 by inserting a flag orany other type of mark in the binary stream wirelessly broadcast to thehandheld electronic devices 16. In the case of a flag, one binary valuemeans silence while the other binary value means active speech. Inaddition to making a determination on the condition of the audio stream,the condition that is observed can be used to simply stop the encodingprocess when silence is encountered and subsequently resume the encodingprocess when active speech is produced.

The control entity 44 handles the processing of the fourth, fifth, sixthand seventh inputs, namely the real time data, the authentication data,the ancillary content and the service data. The purpose of theprocessing is to packetize the data such that it can be transmitted tothe individual handheld electronic devices 16.

The outputs of the control entity 44 and the video and the audioprocessors 40 and 42, are passed to a multiplexer 46 that combines thedata into one common data stream. The data stream is then directed to atransmitter 14 that produces a wireless RF transmission broadcasting theinformation to the individual handheld electronic devices 16. Thetransmitter 14 can be designed to use a single 6 MHz contiguous channelbandwidth to broadcast the entire payload to the handheld electronicdevices 16. The table below provides an example of a payload. RequiredNumber unit bit of Aggregated Description rate feeds bit rate Live videofeeds 31,  384 Kbits/s 10 3.84 Mbits/s 320 × 240 pixels, each 16 bitcolors, 30 Fps (Mpeg 4) Audio feeds 32 28.8 Kbits/s 10 288 Kbits/sec.(synchronized with each video feeds-MP3) Independent voice   8Kbits/sec. 48 384 Kbits/sec. grade compressed each audio feeds 33 (MP3)Real time data  480 Kbits/s 1 480 Kbits/sec. 35-6,000 ASCII eachCharacters (or equivalent data payload) of high priority refreshAncillary content   1 Mbits/s 1 1 Mbits/sec. and service data, (severalpriority refresh levels) Authentication  256 bits/ 50,000 425 Kbits/sec.data   30 sec. Spare ≈1 Mbits/sec. Overall payload 7.5 Mbits

The data stream that is being broadcast from the transmitter 14 to theindividual handheld electronic devices 16 is organized in the form ofdigital packets. In a specific and non-limiting example ofimplementation, three types of packets are being sent. The first typeincludes the video information. In essence, the MPEG-4 informationstream is packetized and transmitted. The video information packetincludes a header that contains the relevant data allowing theelectronic device 16 to appropriately decode it and process it.Advantageously, error detection and correction data is also included inthe header for a more reliable transmission. The second type of packetincludes the independent audio information. The third type of packetincludes the remainder of the payload, such as the ancillary informationand the real and service type data. As in the case of the first type ofpacket, the second and third types of packets include identificationdata in the header to inform the handheld electronic device 16 what typeof content the packet holds such that the content can be adequatelyprocessed.

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the electronic device 16. Theelectronic device 16 is a hand-held device designed to fit comfortablyin the spectator's hand. It includes a keyboard 800 with the necessarykeys to control the operation of the electronic device 16. Above thekeyboard 800 is provided a display section in which is placed a displayscreen 802.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the electronic device 16. The electronicdevice 16 is a computer-based device that receives the information sentby the transmitter 14. The video information is displayed on the displayscreen 802 and the audio information is played via suitablespeaker/headphones 124. The spectator can control the selection of thevideo channels as well as to perform other operations. By video channelat the electronic device 16, it is meant a combination video stream andan associated audio stream.

As seen in FIG. 4, the electronic device 16 has a processor 100 thatexecutes software for controlling the various functions of theelectronic device 16. Generally, the software has four main layers,namely:

-   -   The configuration layer    -   The configuration layer allows the spectator or the manufacturer        to set characteristics of the electronic device 16, such as        enable or disable options, language, time, passwords, etc.    -   The GUI layer    -   In the example described in this specification the GUI includes        a graphical and navigation layer that allows the spectator to        access specific functions of the electronic device 16. The GUI        would typically present to the spectator on the screen options,        such as menus that the spectator can navigate to access the        feature that is desired. As indicated earlier, the service data        portion of the payload broadcasted by the transmitter 14        contains information that defines how the graphical and        navigation layer will appear to the spectator. The following are        examples of the types of information the service data portion        can convey as it pertains to the GUI in order to set the GUI for        use:        -   i. Background image—an image that appears on the screen and            on which are overlaid other types of information such as            menu choices. For instance the background can have a visual            theme associated with the event or venue. The background            image can change for different events or venues;        -   ii. Menu choices—define the options hierarchy that is            available to the spectator. For example, for a certain            event, 10 video channels are available but for other events,            fewer or more channels are possible.        -   iii. Menu look and details—the visual appearance and prompts            associated with the various menu choices. For instance, the            different video channels may have names or identifiers            associated therewith, such as the video channel at the pits,            the video channel from the camera inside the race car of            driver XYZ or the video channel from the left corner of the            racetrack.        -   iv. Soft keys assignment—Referring briefly to FIG. 3, the            handheld electronic device is provided with Function keys            810 (F1, F2, F3 and F4). The user interface may assign to            different functions to each physical key F1, F2, F3 or F4.            In a specific and non-limiting example of implementation,            the current assignment of a key is displayed on the display            802, immediately above the associated physical key (F1, F2,            F3 or F4).        -   v. Soft keys layout and look—The aesthetical components of            soft keys, such as their location on the screen, their            shape, color, etc.        -   vi. Layout of icons on the display—The appearance and            disposition of the icons on the display screen.        -   vii. Navigation mechanisms—The type of navigation mechanisms            to which the user interface responds, such as up, down, left            and right arrows, pointing devices, voice recognition, etc.            In a non-limiting example of implementation, the data for            setting the GUI in the electronic device 16 is sent            wirelessly from the transmitter 14 that is used to send the            wireless RF transmission conveying the payload. In one            possible example, the data for effecting the GUI setting is            sent during a window of operation that precedes the            beginning of the transmission of the video streams. For            instance, in the context of motor sports, such as a car            race, this can be done before the race event starts. In a            second example, the data for setting the GUI is sent along            the other payload. As far as the electronic device 16 is            concerned, after the data for configuring the GUI is            received it is loaded such that the spectator will be            presented with the new GUI. When an authentication process            is required to allow the electronic device 16 to access the            video streams, as will be described later, the actual            loading of the new GUI can be deferred until the            authentication has been completed.    -   The baseline code    -   In a specific and non-limiting example of implementation, a        LINUX kernel is used to provide common core services, such as        memory management, task scheduling and user interfacing, among        others.    -   Basic firmware    -   Software embedded into hardware to control the hardware. For        instance, the algorithms to decode the video and audio        information broadcasted by the transmitter can be implemented in        hardware.

The software is stored in a general-purpose memory 102. Typically, thememory 102 would include a Read Only Memory (ROM) portion that containsdata intended to be permanently retained such as the program code thatthe processor 100 executes. In addition, the memory 102 also includes aRandom Access Memory (RAM) portion that temporarily holds data to beprocessed. The memory 102 can be implemented as a single unit, forinstance as a semiconductor-based module or may include a combination ofa semiconductor-based module and a mass-storage device, such as ahard-drive.

A Universal Serial Bus 104 (USB) port is provided to allow theelectronic device 16 to connect to external devices. Specifically, theUSB port 104 allows linking the electronic device 16 to a computer thatcan either download information from the electronic device 16 or uploaddata to it. For instance, the download process may be used when desiredto transfer data stored in the memory 102 to the external computer.Similarly, the upload process is used to perform the reverse operation.This is useful when desired, for example, to change the program runningthe electronic device 16, by installing one or more updates. The USBport 104 requires a suitable driver that is loaded and executed by theprocessor 100 when the electronic device 16 is powered up.

A removable storage media reader/writer 106 is provided to allow theelectronic device 16 to read data or write data on a removable storagemedia such as a memory card. This feature can be used to permanentlyrecord event-related content that is sent to the electronic device 16.This functionality will be discussed later in greater detail.

As indicated earlier, the keypad 800 allows the spectator to control theoperation of the electronic device 16. The number and type of keysforming the keypad 800 is a matter of choice depending upon the specificapplication. As a possible variant, a touch sensitive screen or a voicerecognition capability can be used to replace the keypad 800 or incombination with the keypad 800 as a means for command and data entry bythe spectator.

The electronic device 16 has a wireless RF receiver and demodulater 110that senses the wireless RF transmission, demodulates it and delivers itas properly organized and formatted data blocks to a data bus 112. Thedata thus sent over the data bus 112 is made available to the memory102, the processor 100, the USB port 104 and the removable storage mediareader/writer 106. In a specific example of implementation, the wirelessRF receiver and demodulator 110 operates in the Ultra High Frequency(UHF) range, specifically in the sub range of 470 MHz to 806 MHz. A 6MHz contiguous bandwidth (equivalent to one regular TV channel) issufficient to transmit the exemplary payload indicated earlier.Alternatively, the transmission may also be made in the 2.5 GHz range.

A video decoder 114 is provided to perform the decoding of the videochannels received from the wireless RF receiver and demodulator 110. Forclarity it should be mentioned that while the specification refers tothe decoder 114 as “video” decoder it also performs audio decoding onthe audio information associated with the video streams. The videodecoder 114 has a memory 27 in the form of a buffer that will holdundecoded video/audio information representing a certain duration ofvideo channel play. For instance the size of the buffer may be selectedsuch that it holds 5 minutes of video channel play, for each channel. Inuse, the video/audio information not yet decoded that is received fromthe wireless RF receiver and demodulater 110 is sent over the data bus112 to the video decoder 114. The video decoder 114 decodes thevideo/audio information and then directs it to a display screen 802 tobe viewed by the spectator. At the same time the undecoded video/audioinformation is directed to the memory buffer 27 that starts to fill.When the memory buffer 27 is completely filled, it starts overflowingsuch that only the last 5 minutes of the video channel play areretained. The same operation is performed on every video channel, withthe exception that only the video channel the spectator wants to watchis being decoded and directed to the display screen 802. Accordingly,the memory buffer 27 is segmented in the functional sense into areas,where each area is associated with a video channel.

The audio stream that is associated with the video stream being watchedis decoded, converted into an analog format, amplified and directed tospeaker/headphones 124 such that the spectator can watch the videostream on the display screen 802 and hear the audio simultaneously.

The ability to retain the last five minutes of video channel playprovides the spectator with interesting possibilities. For instance, thespectator can manipulate the data in the memory buffer 27 so as to“playback” a certain video channel content, create fast forward motion,“rewind” motion and record the video/audio information in the memorybuffer 27, either in part or the entire content by copying it on astorage media in the removable storage media reader/writer 106. In thisfashion, the video/audio information of interest to the spectator can bepermanently retained. Moreover, the spectator can see any action thatmay have been missed by switching channels and then “rewinding” thecontent of the memory buffer 27 associated with the newly selectedchannel.

In addition, the spectator can create “bookmarks” to identify a portionof a video feed that they may wish to revisit. A “bookmark” marks alocation in the video stream. For instance a “bookmark” can be in theform of a pointer to a specific address of a video feed stored in eitherthe buffer, or stored in the storage media reader/writer 106. Whenaccessing a bookmark it thus suffices to play the video content startingfrom the address to which the bookmark points to.

Such “bookmarks” may be created by a spectator by selecting an optionprovided in one of the GUI menus of the user interface. The spectatornavigates the menu by operating keys on the keyboard. Those keys may bearrow keys or any other suitable keys. When a selection has been made,the choice or option can be activated by pressing any suitable key suchas an “enter” key.

A bookmark can be created when the spectator watches a live videochannel and sees action that is of interest. By entering the necessarycommand a bookmark is created. During playback, the spectator canquickly identify the video images of interest by using the bookmark. Thebookmark can also be useful when the spectator wants to copy some of thevideo content on the removable storage medium in the reader/writer 106.If a bookmark points to video content that is being copied, the bookmarkis also copied such that the identification of the events of interest isretained in the copy.

The ability of the spectator to create bookmarks can be used inreplacement or in conjunction of the bookmark generation done at thehead end 12 and conveyed in the wireless RF transmission. Thosebookmarks function in a similar fashion as the bookmarks created by thespectator. When data that represents a bookmark is observed in theinformation conveyed in the wireless RF transmission, a bookmark iscreated and stored with the remaining bookmarks.

Once created, the “bookmark” or pointer is stored in the memory 102 ofthe electronic device 16 such that it can be accessed by the processor100. Each time a spectator wishes to re-view the “bookmarked” portion ofvideo feed, the handheld electronic device software will cause the videodecoder 114 to retrieve the video feed pointed to by the “bookmark” andstart playing the video feed from that point. As mentioned above, thevideo feed is stored in either in the video memory 27 or in the storagemedia reader/writer 106. In the case where the video feed is stored onlyin the video memory 27 which works as a circular buffer to replace oldvideo feed with more recent video feed, once the “bookmarked” portion ofvideo feed has been replaced by more recent video feed, the videodecoder 114 is no longer able to access that “bookmarked” video feed. Assuch, in the case where the spectator wants to retain the “bookmarked”video feed for longer than the memory buffer 27 will allow (i.e. 5minutes for example), the spectator must transfer that portion of videofeed into the storage media reader/writer 106.

The ability to create “bookmarks” provides the spectator with theability to quickly refer back to a portion of video information thatthey may wish to re-view. As mentioned above, not only can “bookmarks”be created by a spectator, but they can also be provided to theelectronic device 16 directly from the transmitter 14. These “bookmarks”would be presented to the spectator, such that if the spectator wishesto view the portion of video information associated with a specificbookmark, they can easily do so. The “bookmarks” provided to thehandheld electronic devices 16 from the transmitter 14, will typicallybe related to exciting events that occur during the course of the livesporting event, such as a car crash, a car crossing the finish line orany other event that a viewer might have missed and want to re-view.

It is generally found suitable to use a memory buffer 27 in the form ofa semiconductor based unit. In applications where large memory capacityis required in order to store a large video content, a storage devicesuch as a hard drive can be used.

The display screen 802 can be of any suitable type. One possibility isto use a 3.5 in diagonal transrelfective Thin Film Transistor (TFT)screen capable of rendering 320×240 pixel resolution images with 16 bitcolor depth. Evidently, other display types can be used withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention. Optionally, the electronicdevice 16 can be provided with a lighting system (not shown in thedrawings) using Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) to facilitate viewing underlow light level conditions.

The audio decoder 120 functions in a somewhat similar manner to thevideo decoder 114. Specifically, the audio decoder 120 is associatedwith an audio memory buffer 29 and it handles the audio streamsconveying the audio information from the independent audio feeds 32(independent audio streams). The independent audio streams are stored ina compressed format in the audio memory buffer 29 so as to record apredetermined period of the audio content that is received.

By storing the audio content received by the electronic device 16 over atime period determined by the capacity of the audio memory buffer 29,the spectator is provided with the ability to “playback” the audiocontent, create “fast-forward”, “rewind” and bookmarks. In addition, theaudio information in the audio memory buffer 29 can be recorded eitherin part or in its entirety by copying the content on a storage media inthe removable storage media reader/writer 106. Bookmarks, as describedabove, can also be created for audio information.

The functionality of the electronic device 16 will now be discussed indetail.

1. Handheld Electronic Device Authentication

The flowchart in FIG. 5 illustrates the general electronic device 16registration process that also covers the authentication feature. Whenthe spectator purchases the electronic device 16 the vendor will recordthe unique identifier of the electronic device 16. The identifier can beany code, such as a string of numbers or characters that is assigned tothe electronic device 16 such that it can be distinguished from otherhandheld electronic devices 16. Typically, the identifier is a binarycode that is permanently stored in the handheld electronic device 16 andthus unalterable. The processor 100 can readily access this binary codewhen the handheld electronic device 16 is in use. For convenience thisunique identifier can be placed on a removable sticker on the electronicdevice 16 or on the box in which it is shipped from the manufacturer.The identifier can be printed as a bar code that can be read by amachine, such as a bar code reader, can appear as alphanumericalcharacters or both. In this fashion the clerk performing the transactioncan record easily the identifier without having to extract it from theelectronic device 16.

At the next step, once the identifier has been recorded, the vendor willtypically create a user account in a database. Another option is toallow the user to create online his/her account. This option isdiscussed later. The user account will allow the user to purchase thedelivery of content to the electronic device 16. In the exampledescribed in FIG. 5, the user purchases content access on an eventbasis. In other words, for each event the user wishes to attend, theuser will make a payment and the delivery of service will only beavailable for that event. Evidently, other options exist. For example,the user may purchase access to content on a subscription basis, such asto have access to content over a predetermined period of time for allevents within that period. In addition, the account may be designed toallow for different levels of service, such as basic or high grade. Ahigher grade service, for example, offers features to the user notavailable under the basic level.

Continuing with the above example, assume that the user now whishes tohave access to content on the electronic device 16 for a certain livesporting event that the user plans to attend. The user then makes thepayment to his account. The payment can be made in person, to a kiosk orat any other location authorized to receive payments. Advantageously,electronic payment methods, such as over the Internet, can be used. Withsuch a method the user logs on to an Internet site of the serviceprovider and makes the payment via credit card or other. The paymentprocess will typically include selecting the event or group of eventsfor which access to content is desired, the level of service, ifapplicable, and then making the payment. When the payment is made andvalidated an entry is automatically made in the user account indicatingthat access to content for the electronic device 16 specified in theaccount is enabled. A detailed example of an on-line service deliverypurchase is provided later in the specification.

At the event itself, before starting to broadcast the content to theindividual handheld electronic devices 16, the database 502 connects tothe network of the service provider over the Internet such that thedatabase 502 can be populated with the identifiers of all the handheldelectronic devices 16 for which payment for content delivery for theevent has been made. Once this step is completed all the electronicdevice 16 identifiers in the database 502 are transmitted to the headend 12 such and they are all included in the broadcast that is made bythe transmitter 14. Specifically, the block of identifiers arebroadcasted periodically, say every minute such as to allow theindividual handheld electronic devices 16 to perform the authenticationprocess at any time.

Each electronic device 16 is designed such that it cannot operate unlessit has been electronically unlocked. When the electronic device 16 ispowered up, it automatically enters the locked mode. During the lockedmode the electronic device 16 will acquire the wireless RF transmissionand decode the information such as to extract the block of identifiersthat are being sent. In this example, the block of identifiersconstitute the authentication data that determines if a particularelectronic device 16 will be allowed to receive the service or not. Oncethe block of identifiers are extracted from the transmission theelectronic device 16 will compare each code from the block to theidentifier of the electronic device 16. If a match is found, then theelectronic device 16 enters the unlocked mode and the content that isbeing broadcast can be adequately received. However, if no match isfound after a certain period, say 2 minutes the electronic device 16shuts down automatically.

The approach described earlier is a simple way to ensure that content isdelivered only to spectators that have made payment, since no encryptionof the video/audio content is required. In addition, the delivery of theauthentication information to the individual handheld electronic devices16, such as the block of identifiers, in a wireless manner, is simplefrom a logistics standpoint.

For enhanced security, the block of identifiers that are beingtransmitted can be encrypted using any suitable encryption techniques.The electronic device 16 should, therefore be provided with capabilityto decrypt the block of identifiers by using a suitable key.

Another option is to encrypt the entire transmission and require theelectronic device 16 to decrypt it. In this form of implementation, theencryption constitutes the authentication data carried by the wirelessRF transmission that is processed by the individual handheld electronicdevices 16. A decryption key or password may need to be input by thespectator to allow a electronic device 16 to be unlocked. In such case,a decryption key may be provided to the spectator following the paymentfor the service. When the spectator powers up the handheld electronicdevice 16, the spectator enters the key and that key is used to performthe decryption.

If encryption or decryption is required, the function can be implementedat the electronic device 16 by suitable software or hardware, both ofwhich are known in the art.

The authentication described earlier can be modified such as to provideservice level access control. As it will be discussed later, thehandheld electronic device 16 can be designed in such a way as todeliver to the spectator service available in different levels orcategories. The levels can be distinguished from each other on the basisof content, for example. The basic level of service may include basiccontent, such as for example a limited number of video channels. Ahigher level of service may include a larger number of video channelsand contextual information or other content. The reader will appreciatethat the distinguishing characteristic of the different service levelswill vary in accordance with the intended application. Generally, thehigher the service level, the richer the content it provides to thespectator.

The service levels are likely to be available at different cost to thespectator. More specifically, the basic level of service is likely to bethe least expensive and as content options are added to upgrade to ahigher level of service then the cost to the spectator will increase.

It is desirable to provide the handheld electronic device 16 with anauthentication feature that will allow the handheld electronic device 16to provide to the spectator access to the level of service the spectatorhas paid for and thus protect the wireless RF transmission fromunauthorized access to content or service levels that have not beenpurchased.

One possible option is to create when the spectator purchases theservice distinct lists of identifiers for each service level that isavailable. Assume that three service levels are available, namelyservice level A, service level B and service level C. Service level A isthe basic and the least expensive. Service level B is the intermediatelevel and includes features not available under service level A, forexample more video channels and a limited amount of contextualinformation. Service level C is the highest and it provides the richestcontent, namely the largest number of channels and the most contextualinformation. As the service is being purchased by spectators, threedifferent lists of electronic identifiers are created, one for thosethat have purchased service level A, one for those that have purchasedservice level B and for those that have purchased the service level C.

Under this example, the wireless RF transmission is structured in a wayto maintain a distinction between the different levels of service. Forexample, a core block of frames carries the content for the servicelevel A, which is the basic level. A first additional block of framescarries the additional content that is added to the service level A toupgrade to service level B. Finally there is a second additional blockof frames that carries the additional content added to service level Bto upgrade to service level C. In such case, the service level Cencompasses the content of service levels B and A, while the servicelevel B encompasses the content under service level A.

The authentication information sent to the handheld electronic devices16 is organized into groups as well. There is a first group thatcontains the list of the identifiers of the handheld electronic devices16 for which service at level A has been purchased, a group with a listof the identifiers of the handheld electronic device 16 for whichservice at level B has been purchased and a list of the identifiers ofthe handheld electronic devices 16 for which service at level C has beenpurchased.

As a handheld electronic device 16 picks up the wireless RFtransmission, it will, as discussed earlier try to find in anyone of thelists its own electronic identifier. If the identifier is not found inanyone of the lists, then the handheld electronic device 16 will notunlock itself and the spectator will not be able to access the content.However, the handheld electronic device 16 will unlock itself if itsidentifier is found in anyone of the lists. If the identifier is foundin the list for service A, then the spectator will be able to view onlythe content carried in the core block of frames, the one that isassociated with the service level A. Access to frames associated withany other service level will not be allowed. The control is implementedby the handheld electronic device 16 that determines which part of thewireless transmission it can make available to the spectator. Since thedifferent block of frames are clearly distinguished from one another andassociated with the respective groups of identifiers, the determinationof the groups where the identifier of the handheld electronic device 16resides, allows controlling the access to the relevant block of framesthat hold the content. If the identifier is in the group associated withthe core block of frames, only those will be processed and in effect thespectator will have only access to the service at level A. If theidentifier of the handheld electronic device 16 is located in the groupassociated with the first additional block of frames then only the coreblock and the additional bloc will be processed, in effect limitingaccess to the content at level B. Finally, if the identifier of thehandheld electronic device 16 resides in the group associated with thesecond additional block of frames, then full access to the entirecontent is granted.

The examples of the authentication feature described above arerelatively simple to implement. However, there is a need to carry in thewireless RF transmission the entire list of the electronic identifiersof the handheld electronic devices 16 that are allowed to receivecontent. If a large number of handheld electronic devices are beingserviced by the wireless RF transmission, the number of electronicidentifiers that need to be transmitted may grow too large to bepractical.

FIGS. 25 to 27 illustrate a variant in which it is not necessary toinclude in the authentication information in the wireless RFtransmission a complete list of the handheld electronic receivers 16allowed accessing the content in the wireless RF transmission. FIG. 25shows a high level block diagram of the handheld electronic device 16illustrating the storage area (which includes the memory 102 in additionto any other storage, either volatile or not volatile). The non-volatileportion of this storage area holds the electronic identifier describedearlier. In this drawing the electronic identifier is designated by thereference numeral 1002.

The handheld electronic device 16 is also provided with a bar code 1000on its casing that is machine readable, such as by using a bar codereader (not shown). The bar code is a representation of the electronicidentifier 1002. Note that the label holding the bar code may alsocontain another form of representation of the electronic identifier1002, such as for example by using alphanumeric characters suitable tobe read by a human.

It is also possible to apply on the casing of the handheld electronicdevice 16 a bar code 1000 that is not identical to the electronicidentifier 1002. In other words, the electronic identifier 1002 and thebar code 1000 are different codes. Some embodiments of theauthentication process described later require access to the electronicidentifier 1002 via the bar code 1000. In the embodiment where theelectronic identifier 1002 and the bar code 1000 are the same codes thena reading of the bar code 1000 will yield the electronic identifier.However, when they are different codes, a mapping mechanism can be usedto relate one to the other. The mapping mechanism can be a databasestoring all the population of electronic identifiers 1002 and therespective bar codes 1000. When it is necessary to obtain an electronicidentifier 1002 of a certain handheld electronic device 16, the bar code1000 is read, the database searched and the corresponding electronicidentifier 1002 retrieved.

The handheld electronic device 16 also includes an authenticationprocessor 1006. The authentication processor 1006 is designed to handleauthentication related tasks, such as for example output the electronicidentifier 1002 to an external device (as it will be described later),process a user code entered by the spectator and the authenticationinformation contained in the wireless RF transmission to electronicallyunlock the handheld electronic device 16 to allow the spectator to gainaccess to the content in the wireless RF transmission. Theauthentication processor 1006 is likely implemented in software but itcan also be implemented in hardware by a specialized circuit. Acombination of software and hardware is another option.

When a spectator desires to purchase the delivery of service to thehandheld electronic device 16, the spectator performs the transaction byinteracting with an external entity which generates a user code. At thelive event, the spectator enters via the user interface the user codeprovided earlier. The authentication processor 1006 performs avalidation of the user code information provided by the spectator andissues an authentication decision. The authentication decision isconveyed by any suitable internal signal which will have the effect toallow the spectator to gain access to the content in the wireless RFsignal, If the user code is a correct code, or to deny this access whenthe user code is a wrong code. For instance, the signal that conveys theauthentication decision can be designed to enable the processing of thecontent in the wireless RF transmission such that it can be viewedand/or heard by the spectator, when the authentication decisionvalidates the user code. On the other hand, when the authenticationdecision does not validate the user code, then the internal signal isdesigned to prevent content from being made available to the spectator.The authentication decision issued by the authentication processor 1006can also be designed to handle levels of service. In such case, theauthentication decision indicates which level of service the handheldelectronic device 16 is entitled to receive, if any.

A block diagram of the external entity is shown in FIG. 26. Morespecifically, the external entity has a user code generator 1008 whichreceives as inputs the electronic identifier 1002 and the event code.The user code generator 1008 processes these entries by any suitablefunction which produces the user code. The function uses as parametersthe electronic identifier and the event code and processes themmathematically. The user code is the result of the mathematicalprocessing. The mathematical processing itself is not critical to theinvention and many different mathematical functions can be used withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention. One desirable property ofthe mathematical processing is that it should be non-reversible. Bynon-reversible is meant that knowledge of the user code does not allowreconstructing the electronic identifier 1002, nor the event code, northe mathematical function used to generate the user code based on thetwo inputs.

The user code generator 1008 can, for example, be implemented at a boothat the live sporting event the spectator plans attending. The attendantat the booth receives payment from the spectator, the amount of whichmay be dependent on the level of service desired. The attendant thenplaces adjacent the handheld electronic device 16 a reader such as aninfrared reader to interact with an infrared port (not shown in FIGS. 25to 27) on the handheld electronic device 16. The infrared reader and thehandheld electronic device 16 establish communication and theauthentication processor 1006 releases over the infrared link theelectronic identifier 1002. The infrared link is depicted in FIG. 25 bythe large arrow 1007. Alternatively, communication between the handheldelectronic device 16 and the reader can be established by using awireline connection such as via a USB port, or any other suitablearrangement.

The electronic identifier is supplied to the user code generator 1008 inaddition to the event code which is available to the user code generator1008. Normally, the same event code is used for every handheldelectronic device 16 for which service is being purchased. The eventcode is a code that designates the event for which service is beingpurchased, while the electronic identifier is a code that distinguishesone handheld electronic device 16 from another. In a specific example ofimplementation the event code will typically be different from one eventto another. For instance, in the case of motorsports applications,different event codes will be attributed to different races during theseason in a given year.

The user code generator 1008 will process the two entries according tothe desired mathematical non-reversible function and outputs the usercode. In this particular case, the mathematical processing is asuccession of mathematical operations on the two entries that produce auser code that is smaller (less digits) than both the event code and theelectronic identifier 1002. The user code is given to the spectator inany convenient way. It may be printed, for instance on a ticket andremitted to the spectator. Normally, this code will be unique to eachhandheld electronic device 16.

Note that it is also possible to implement the user code generator 1008to produce user codes for different handheld electronic devices 16without establishing an electronic communication with the handheldelectronic devices 16. This can be done by using a bar code reader forreading the bar code 1000 on the casing of each handheld electronicdevice 16. If the bar code 1000 is the same as the electronic identifier1002 then the processing by the user code generator 1008 can be effectedas described earlier. Otherwise, if the bar code 1000 is different fromthe electronic identifier , a database (not shown) mapping the bar codes1000 to the electronic identifiers 1002 of the population of thehandheld electronic devices 16 is searched to extract the electronicidentifier 1002 corresponding to the bar code 1000 that was read.

As the spectator enters the stadium, the spectator turns the handheldelectronic device 16 on and he is requested by the authenticationprocessor 1006 to supply a user code. The request may be, for example, aprompt appearing on the display 802 of the handheld electronic device 16to enter a user code (assuming that the system requires manual input ofthe user code). The spectator enters the user code printed on the ticketvia the user interface of the handheld electronic device 16. Theauthentication processor 1006 to which are readily available theelectronic identifier 1002 and the event code that is conveyed in thewireless RF transmission, processes the electronic identifier 1002, andthe event code according to the same mathematical function implementedby the user code generator 1008. If the output of the process issues acode that matches with the user code entered by the spectator, then theauthentication processor 1008 issues an authentication decision allowingaccess to the content in the wireless RF transmission. Otherwise, accessto the content is denied.

A possible option is to communicate the user code to the handheldelectronic device 16 electronically, immediately after the electronicidentifier 1002 is communicated to the user code generator 1008. As soonas the user code generator 1008 computes a user code, that code isconveyed via the communication link 1007 to the authentication processor1006. This option obviates the need for the spectator to manually inputthe user code for validation purposes. The electronic transaction 1007automatically unlocks the handheld electronic device for use at the livesporting event, without the necessity for the spectator to input anyuser code.

In a possible variant, the user code is provided to the spectator via anonline purchase set-up that can be made any time before the live eventbegins. The principles of this arrangement are described later. Briefly,the spectator accesses the Internet via a personal computer or any othercommunication device and connects with a web site where an on-linepurchase of delivery of service can be made. The server hosting the website implements the user code generator and computes a user code. Theuser code that is produced is communicated to the user, such as bydisplaying it on the screen of the personal computer, sent to the userby e-mail to a specified e-mail address or via any other suitablefashion. The user will retain the user code and enter it in the handheldelectronic device 16 during the live event.

Another possible option that can be considered is to convey in thewireless RF transmission, the event code (as in the previous embodiment)and also all the user codes for the handheld electronic devices 16 forwhich service has been purchased. This option would require computingfor every handheld electronic device 16 for which service is purchased(for example at the point of purchase of the service) a user code andstoring all the user codes so computed into a database. During the livesporting event, the content of the database is periodically broadcastedalong with the event code. Each handheld electronic device 16 that is atthe live sporting event receives the wireless RF transmission andextracts the event code. The event code is then used to compute a usercode by the authentication processor 1006. That user code is thenchecked against the set of user codes contained in the wireless RFtransmission. If a match is found the authentication processor 1006issues an authentication decision allowing the handheld electronicdevice 16 to access the video/audio content in the wireless RFtransmission. If no match is found then the handheld electronic device16 remains locked.

The various embodiments described above that employ a user code forauthentication purposes can also be adapted to a multi-service levelarrangement. In the case of a multi service level system, the spectatorwill be provided with a different user code depending on the particularservice level that was purchased. The wireless RF transmission hascontent that is structured to distinguish one service level from anotherand each service level is associated with different authenticationinformation. The authentication information is a compound event codeincluding a plurality of service level codes that are different from oneservice level to another. Accordingly, in this example, theauthentication information will contain as many service level codes asthere are different service levels. In use, the authentication processor1008 will try to match the user code supplied by the spectator to thecompound event code. Specifically, the authentication processor 1008will issue an authentication decision to unlock the handheld electronicdevice 16 when a match is established between the user code and any oneof the service level codes, but the authentication decision will controlthe access to the content, as discussed earlier, such that the spectatorwill only be able to gain access to the service level that waspurchased.

Note that the event codes (either a unique code or a compound code inthe case of a multi-level approach) are generated by the authority ororganization controlling the delivery of service to the spectatorsduring the live event. Those codes can be randomly generated for everynew event.

2. Video Stream Reception and Related Functions.

Assuming that the authentication process described earlier has beensuccessfully passed, the graphical and navigational layer is loaded andthe user interface that allows the spectator to access the variousfunctions is presented on the display screen 802. Typically, the userinterface presents a menu that will show a list of choices. Thespectator navigates the menu by operating keys on the keyboard. Thosekeys may be arrow keys or any other suitable keys. When a selection hasbeen made the choice or option is activated by pressing any suitable keysuch as an “enter” key.

The menu options available to the spectator can vary significantlyaccording to the intended application. The description provided belowillustrates a few possible examples.

-   -   Watching a video channel—the spectator will access this choice        and activate it. The menu hierarchy is designed so as to display        the list of the possible video channels that the spectator can        watch onscreen. The spectator selects the one he or she desires        by pressing the appropriate selection keys and confirming the        choice by pressing the “enter” key. At this point, the handheld        electronic device software will instruct the video decoder 114        to start decoding the appropriate channel. The decoded video        information will be directed to the screen and it will be        displayed to the spectator. At the same time the audio output is        played by the speaker/headphones 124.    -   At any time the spectator can invoke the graphical interface to        either stop the video watching or switch to a different video        channel.    -   One option that may also be considered is to view thumbnails of        video channels onscreen so as to allow the spectator to select        the one he or she finds the most interesting. Specifically, the        spectator invokes the thumbnail option on the graphical user        interface and as a result he/she sees on the screen a plurality        of thumbnails, each associated with a given video channel. The        number of thumbnails can vary according to the intended        application. In one possible example four thumbnails are        presented, each associated to a video channel, with each        thumbnail thereby occupying a quadrant of the screen. A total of        10 video channels will require two and a half-thumbnail pages        for the spectator to see. The spectator can switch from one        thumbnail page to the other by pressing appropriate keys on the        keypad 108. When the spectator desires to watch the video        channel from a particular thumbnail, he/she selects that        thumbnail to expand the image and cause it to occupy the entire        screen.    -   The thumbnail function requires the video decoder 114 to process        several video channels at the same time. The processing is done        such that the resolution is decreased sufficiently to reduce        each image to a portion that will fit in the thumbnail space.        When four thumbnails are displayed on the screen, the resolution        of each video feed 31 is reduced by a factor of four.    -   When viewing thumbnail pages, different options exist in        handling the audio stream associated with the corresponding        video feeds. First, the audio stream may be interrupted        altogether since each page is associated with multiple audio        streams. The audio stream may be activated only when the        spectator has selected to view a video channel over the entire        screen. In a possible variant, the spectator is provided with        the option of highlighting thumbnails as he/she navigates        through them by pressing selection keys on the keypad 108. As a        thumbnail is highlighted, the audio stream associated with that        particular video stream is decoded and directed to the audio        output. Once a thumbnail is highlighted, it can be selected and        thus expanded to full screen by pressing any appropriate key,        such as the “enter” key.    -   In addition to the purely manual method for selecting the video        channel to watch, the system can be designed to perform some        automatic video channel switching based on some particular        parameters. This will be described later in greater detail.    -   Data overlay—the spectator can choose to see data content that        is overlaid on the screen of the electronic device 16. In a        first example, In one non-limiting example, the real-time data        content includes information relating to the live sporting        event, such as for example scoring and participant ranking        information, among others. In the specific example of a car        racing event, the real-time information can include the current        ranking, number of laps remaining, participants still in the        race, participants no longer in the race, fastest lap of the        current leader or of anyone of the participants, average speed        of the current leader or of anyone of the participants, among        others. In another example, the real-time data content can also        convey physiological information associated with anyone of the        participants. Again in the context of a car race, the        physiological information can include the heart rate of the        driver or his body temperature, among others. The real time data        content is usually available from the authority sanctioning the        live sporting event. In the case of the physiological        information, a requirement would be to provide one or more of        the participants with the necessary sensors that measure the        heart rate, body temperature, etc and convey the collected        information to the head end 12 such that it can be included in        the wireless RF transmission. It is not deed necessary to        describe in detail how the physiological information is        collected and delivered to the head end 12, since this would be        known to a person skilled in the art.    -   When the data is not video channel specific, it can be organized        as a “ticker” type band that appears at any appropriate location        on the screen and continually cycles time and scoring        information that is updated in real-time. With this example, the        same information is seen on each video channel.    -   In a second example, each video channel is provided with        associated data content. A video channel specific data content        may include the name and other identification information        associated with the race team or car being watched, current        standing, best lap time, among others.    -   When the amount of information to be displayed is relatively        small, it may appear as a static overlay in contrast to a        “ticker” approach. The data in the static overlay is changed        only when necessary to update it. In order to provide as much        flexibility as possible, options may be presented on the screen        so as to allow the spectator to see additional information of        interest. Specifically, the screen shows areas suggesting tabs        that can be selected by pressing selection keys on the keypad        108. Each tab provides access to a lower level of additional        information that will then appear in the data overlay. Such        additional information may include information on the driver's        career, information on the driver's vehicle, promotional        information about the driver's team or paraphernalia, among many        others.    -   With video channel specific data content, it is useful to        structure the data content that is being broadcast in a way that        creates a logical association with the respective video feed 31.        For instance, the data that is carried into the data packets        being broadcast can be grouped into blocks, each being        associated with a given video channel. Additional blocks may be        provided that correspond to the data that may be shared by all        the video channels or a subset of the video channels.    -   When such an association is created the video channel specific        data content can automatically be shown in the overlay as soon        as the video channel is selected for viewing.    -   The flowchart in FIG. 6 summarizes the video viewing process.        The spectator accesses the main menu 19 from which he/she        navigates to the video channel selection commands 21. Those        commands can be grouped into thumbnail page commands 23, or        direct selection commands 25. The thumbnail page commands allow        the spectator to view real-time video channels in thumbnail size        and to select one for full screen viewing. The direct selection        command allows the spectator to directly specify the video        channel for full screen viewing. At the next step the data to be        overlaid is selected. The data and the video information are        overlaid and shown on the screen.    -   Video playback functionality—Since the video channel content is        being continuously buffered, the spectator has the ability to        implement a video playback functionality by selecting which        portion of the video content currently in the memory buffer 27        will be displayed on the screen. The degree of playback depth,        in other words the extent to which the spectator can wind back        the video content, depends on the memory buffer 27 size. As        suggested earlier this size may be selected to accommodate a 5        minute playback depth. Of course, this is one possible example        that should not be construed in a limiting manner.    -   The spectator can invoke the playback feature on the user        interface. For example, the spectator accesses a menu item with        the appropriate selection keys and then confirms by pressing the        “enter” key. When the playback feature is active, the following        functions are available:        -   Rewind—the rewind function positions the pointer in the            memory buffer 27 at a previous location. The speed at which            the spectator effects the rewind can be set or can be            selectable. During the rewind, two options exist. One is to            show a blank screen and resume video play when the rewind            key has been released. The video play will start at the            location to which the pointer in the memory buffer 27 has            been pushed back. The other option is to see the video            content played in reverse while the “rewind” is active so as            to allow the spectator to more easily find an image or            section of the video content of interest. The speed at which            the video content is played back as the memory buffer 27 is            being backed up, can be fixed or variable, under control of            the spectator.        -   Fast forward—opposite of the rewind function. Can be invoked            only when the pointer in the memory buffer 27 has been            backed up to some degree.        -   Bookmark—the spectator can jump to a certain point in the            video content by selecting a previously established            “bookmark” from a menu option, as described earlier. Each            “bookmark” points to a specific portion of the video feed in            the memory buffer. As such, when the spectator selects a            “bookmark”, the video play will start at the location of the            pointer associated with the bookmark. The “bookmark”            function enables the spectator to quickly jump back and            forth to interesting portions of video play. The bookmark            feature also allows the spectator to jump quickly from one            bookmark to another bookmark. In this fashion, the spectator            can easily go from one salient event to another in the video            content held in the video memory 27 without the necessity of            fast forwarding or rewinding the video content.        -   Still image—the spectator can pause the image which is            effected by maintaining the pointer in the memory buffer 27            at a fixed location. In this manner, the spectator sees the            same image frame.        -   Moving frame by frame—the spectator can see the image moving            (by “moving” is meant either a forward movement or a            backward movement) slowly frame by frame at a pace slower            than the normal frame rate. Pressing the appropriate key on            the keyboard can allow the image to jump from one frame to            the next. Alternatively, the image can be moved            automatically frame by frame but at a slower than normal            rate so as to allow the spectator to see each frame            individually.        -   Zoom—the spectator can zoom in or out on frames shown on the            screen. Typically this function is enabled when the still            image feature is active. The zooming in can be invoked by            pressing one key on the keypad 108, while the reverse,            zooming out function can be invoked by pressing a different            key.        -   Video recording—the spectator can transfer some or the            entire video stream content in the memory buffer 27 to the            removable storage media in the storage media reader/writer            106. Again, operating the appropriate keys on the keypad 108            enables this function. Several options exist:            -   Start recording the video content that is being played                in real time on the screen. This function is useful when                the spectator sees footage that is of interest and that                he/she would like to record. The video content that is                directed to the video memory buffer 27 is also copied in                a compressed form to the removable storage media 106. In                this fashion, the video content can be played back on                the electronic device 16 or on any other suitable                electronic device that can read the video information                stored in the removable storage media 106. The amount of                video information that can be recorded on the removable                storage media 106 depends on the size of the storage                media.            -   Transfer the entire content of the memory buffer 27 to                the removable storage media 106. This option is possible                if the size of the removable storage media 106 can                accommodate the information in the memory buffer 27.            -   Transfer only a selected portion of the memory buffer 27                to the removable storage medium 106. This function can                be activated by first performing a “rewind”, “fast                forward” or a “frame by frame” movement until the                desired location in the memory buffer 27 of interest has                been reached, and then activating the “play” and                “recording function” that will start transferring the                compressed image stream to the removable storage medium.                When the desired portion of the video content has been                recorded on the removable storage medium 106 the                spectator can stop the recording process.            -   Any bookmarks entered by the spectator are also                transferred to the removable storage medium 106. This is                effected by copying on the removable storage medium 106                the address of the video information to which the                bookmark points to. In this fashion, the if the                spectator has placed bookmarks during the watching of                the live sporting event those are not lost when the                video content is transferred to the removable storage                medium 106.

3. Audio Stream Reception and Related Functions.

The following examples focus on the delivery of the independent audiostreams since the handling of the audio streams associated with therespective video streams was described in the earlier section.

As indicated earlier, the independent audio streams convey radioconversations between members of a race team (typically an audio streamwill be associated with each race team), audio commentaries about therace or advertisement information, among others. At the electronicdevice 16 the spectator can manually select anyone of the streams anddirect them to the output 124 which drives a sound reproducing devicesuch as a loudspeaker or headphones. Another possibility exists whichallows the spectator to define a priority profile such as to play theaudio streams according to an order of priority.

The order of priority is defined by storing in the electronic device 16priority profile data. More specifically, the priority profile data isstored in the memory 102 or any other suitable memory that allows theprocessor 100 to access it readily. For convenience, the priorityprofile data may be stored in a non-volatile section of the memory 102such that the information will be retained even after the electronicdevice 16 is powered down, thus avoiding re-entering the informationagain every time the electronic device 16 is powered-up.

The priority profile defines an order of priority according to which theaudio streams will be played. The following is an example of a priorityprofile:

Priority 1(highest)—radio conversations of team C

Priority 2—radio conversations of team A

Priority 3—radio conversations of team K

Priority 4—audio commentary about the race

Priority 5—advertisement content

The software that runs the electronic device 16 includes a module thatprovides the function of an audio stream selector. The audio streamselector which may be part of the user interface of the handheldelectronic device 16 decides which one of the audio streams contained inthe wireless RF transmission to play based on the priority profile.Before enforcing the priority profile the audio stream selector willdistinguish the active audio streams from the inactive audio streams inthe wireless RF transmission. An active audio stream is an audio streamthat conveys some type of information the spectator can understand. Incontrast, an inactive audio stream is a stream that that conveys no suchinformation. A typical active audio stream is an audio stream conveyinga conversation, while an inactive audio stream only conveys silence orlow intensity noise. One way to distinguish between an active audiostream and an inactive one is to analyze the data conveying the audioinformation and ascertain what the signal level is. A high signal levellikely denotes an active audio stream while a low signal level likelydenotes an inactive audio stream. The reader skilled in the art willappreciate that many signal analysis techniques are available in the artallowing distinguishing between an active audio stream from an inactiveone and no further description is required here.

In an alternative embodiment, each audio signal is encoded with anindication as to whether that signal is active or inactive by the audioprocessor 42 at the head end 12. This characteristic was describedearlier and will not be discussed again. As such, the audio signalselector at the electronic device can determine based on the encoding ofthe signal whether it is active or inactive. This would avoid having touse any analysis techniques at the handheld electronic devices 16 inorder to determine an inactive and active audio stream.

Assume for example that the electronic device 16 receives 10 audiostreams, where streams 1-8 are associated with respective racing teams,audio stream 9 conveys an audio commentary and audio stream 10 conveysadvertisement information. After performing the activity analysis on theaudio stream, the audio stream selector classifies the audio streams asfollows:

Active

Audio stream 1 (team A)

Audio stream 5 (team K)

Audio stream 7 (team B)

Audio stream 9 (audio commentary)

Audio stream 10 (advertisement content)

Inactive

The remainder of the 10 audio streams.

The audio stream selector will then search the active list for the audiostream in the highest level of priority in the priority profile. Thisposition corresponds to team C that is not in the active list. Next theaudio stream selector searches the active list for the entry in thepriority profile having the second order of priority. This correspondsto team A which is associated with the audio stream 1. Since this audiostream is active the audio stream selector will play it to the spectatorby directing it to the output leading to the loudspeaker or headphones.

The scanning of the audio streams to identify the active ones and theinactive ones is effected periodically, such as every 15 or 30 secondsand if there is any audio stream having a higher order of priority thanthe one currently played, it is directed to the output. In this fashion,the spectator is always presented with the audio stream information thatis the most relevant or of interest to him/her.

Optionally, the spectator interface of the electronic device 16 can bedesigned to allow the spectator to stop the periodic scanning of theaudio streams and continue playing the audio stream that is beingcurrently selected.

In order to somewhat simplify the construction of the electronic device16, the head end 12 may be designed such as to perform the audio streamactivity analysis and insert in the payload information to that effect.As indicated previously, the audio streams are broadcasted in the formof packets, where each packet may contain audio information for a singleaudio stream or audio information for a collection of audio streams,depending on the specific packet structure selected for the intendedapplication. For a given block of audio data corresponding to a certainplaying time for a given audio stream, the head end performs theactivity analysis and associates with that block a flag to indicatewhether the audio information is considered active or inactive,depending upon the value of the flag. In this fashion, each electronicdevice 16 is always aware of which audio streams are currently activeand the audio stream selector can perform the audio stream switchingwithout the necessity of conducting any audio stream activity analysis.

Since the priority profile defines the preference of the spectator, theuser interface of the electronic device 16 is designed to allow thespectator to configure the priority profile and modify the profile oncean initial configuration has been made. The reader skilled in the artwill appreciate that many possible configuration mechanisms can bedesigned. A simple approach is to present the spectator with a list inwhich the spectator enters one after the other (decreasing order ofpriority) the racing teams or other type of content that can be conveyedby the audio streams. The data is then saved in the memory 102 in theform of a file, for example. The audio streams processing is thenperformed as discussed earlier. Evidently, a mapping operation needs tobe performed at some point to associate a racing team name or identifier(if the data in the preference profile is entered in this manner incontrast to directly specifying the audio streams) to the audio streamcorresponding to that racing team. For example, mapping information canbe sent over the wireless RF transmission to effect this operation.

Another possible refinement is to send in connection with any one of theaudio streams a priority flag which denotes content of potentially highinterest to the spectators, such as for example conversations betweenemergency crews in the case of an accident. In such case, the audiostream selector is designed to play that audio stream and override anypriority profile settings. If desired the user interface of theelectronic device 16 can be designed to disable this function whichforces the electronic device 16 to play the audio stream with the highinterest flag.

Yet, another possibility that can also be considered is assigningpriorities to positions of participants in the race rather than tospecific crews or participants. For instance, priority number 1 can beassigned to the race leader, without regard to the particularparticipant that occupies the position at the time being. A moredetailed example of a priority scheme includes the following:

Priority #1—race leader;

Priority #2—second position;

Priority #3—any car in the pits

The audio that is currently played is selected according to thispriority scheme. If no activity exist on the audio stream associatedwith the race leader, then the audio selection moves to the priority #2position, and so on. To enable this functionality, the head end 12 ismarking the individual audio streams with data which associates theaudio streams with the ranking of the respective participants of teams.In this fashion the electronic device 16 can adequately recognize thevarious positions of the participants of teams. One example is to insertin a suitable field of the binary transport of the wireless RFtransmission information allowing identifying the race positions. Byfollowing the above priority scheme each audio stream is described bydata that indicates the current position in the race. Also, additionaldescriptive data is provided to point to the audio streams associatedwith cars that are in the pits.

A possible variant is to use the real time data contained in thewireless RF transmission to map the various teams with respective racepositions. Assuming that the individual audio streams in the wireless RFtransmission are provided with suitable team or participant identifiers,the real time data that communicates the positions of the teams orparticipants can be used to establish the correlation between audiostreams and race positions.

While the audio management function described above is done inconnection with the electronic device 16 that provides video receptioncapability, similar audio management functions can also be implementedin simple audio only electronic devices. In the infrastructure describedearlier, which uses a head end 12 to build a signal structure conveyingan audio/video/data payload, such electronic device can be designed todisregard any video information and process the audio and datainformation only. With infrastructures that do not use a head end 12,the electronic device can be designed to implement at least some of thefunctions described earlier while accessing directly the raw audiosources. In such case, the electronic device includes a series oftuners, each tuner being set at a frequency corresponding to a givenaudio source, for example the frequency used by a race team forcommunication. In such case, the wireless RF transmission that theelectronic device acquires encompasses the group of frequencies to whichthe tuners are set. Those frequencies may need to be entered manually bythe spectator using the electronic device, for example, before theracing event begins. At this point, the audio stream selector analysesthe outputs of the different tuners to determine if they are active ornot and applies the priority policy defined by the priority profile indetermining which audio stream should be played.

Since the audio streams are continuously buffered, the spectator has theability to implement an audio playback functionality. The degree ofplayback depth, in other words the extent to which the spectator canwind back the audio content, depends on the memory buffer 29 size. Thissize may be selected to accommodate a 5 minute playback depth. Ofcourse, this is one possible example that should not be construed in alimiting manner.

The spectator can invoke the playback feature on the user interface. Forexample, the spectator accesses a menu item with the appropriateselection keys and then confirms by pressing the “enter” key. When theplayback feature is active, the following functions are available:

-   -   Rewind—the rewind function positions the pointer in the audio        memory buffer 29 at a previous location. The speed at which the        spectator effects the rewind can be set or can be selectable.        The audio play starts at the location at which the pointer in        the memory buffer 29 has been pushed back. The speed at which        the audio content is played back as the memory buffer 29 is        being backed up, can be fixed or variable, under control of the        spectator.    -   Fast forward—opposite of the rewind function. Can be invoked        only when the pointer in the memory buffer 29 has been backed up        to some degree.

4. Playing Ancillary Content and Related Functions

In addition to conveying principal video channel content to thespectator, the electronic device 16 is also designed to convey ancillarycontent. Examples of ancillary content include advertisement content,venue or event related contextual content, on-line shopping options andnews, among many others. Both can be in the form of video content, audiocontent or a combination of video and audio content.

-   -   Advertisement content—the advertisement content can be delivered        in a wide variety of ways to the spectator. Some examples are        discussed below:    -   The broadcast that is received by the spectator can be provided        with an advertisement video channel that can be selected by the        spectator in the same manner as he/she selects a principal video        channel. For clarity, by principal video channel is meant a        video channel that conveys real time video information        associated with the live sporting event. Of course there may be        more than one advertisement video channel. The channels can be        organized in terms of language; for instance, one advertisement        video channel in English, one in Spanish and one in French.        Alternatively, the channels can be organized in terms of product        types or services being promoted.    -   The advertisement content is embedded in the video content        delivered over a principal video channel. The advertisement        content can be inserted at the editing stage on the content        production console, (see the block diagram in FIG. 1). In this        fashion, every spectator receives the same advertisement. The        advertisement can be in the form of advertisement clips, such as        short movies, banners or graphical elements overlaid on the        image or “ticker” type areas running on the screen. It should be        appreciated that other ways can also exist for presenting the        advertisement video content on the principal video channels        without departing from the spirit of the invention.    -   The advertisement content can also be embedded in the video        content delivered over the principal video channel with the        insertion occurring at the electronic device 16, rather than at        the content production console. Specifically, the advertisement        video content is broadcasted over a dedicated channel and        instructions are sent to the electronic device 16 that will        control when advertisement content from the advertisement        channel is injected in a principal video channel. Such        instructions will determine when advisement content will start        to be played over the principal video channel and the duration        of such play. The instructions are interpreted by the software        managing the operation of the electronic device 16 to control        when to start injecting the advertisement content and when to        stop.

Venue or event related contextual information—Venue related contextualinformation is information that is associated to the venue where theevent is held. In the case of a race car event, the venue relatedcontextual information may include:

-   -   Map of the venue;    -   Map of the race track    -   Information on key locations such as washrooms, vending stands,        medical facilities and emergency exits, among others;    -   History of the venue;    -   History of the track (if different from the venue)    -   Schedule of future events to be held at the venue;    -   Costs schedule for services or products that a spectator may        acquire at the venue

In a non-limiting embodiment, the electronic device 16 can have GPSreceiving capabilities. In such an embodiment, the electronic device 16is equipped with a GPS receiver (not shown in the drawings), such thatthe electronic device 16 can obtain location information in the form ofGPS coordinates associated with its location. This assumes the GPSreceiver has an unobstructed view of the sky to pick up satellitesignals. More specifically, these GPS coordinates can be displayed to aspectator on the display screen 802 of the electronic device, inrelation to a map of the venue, specifically showing to the spectatorits location relative to the map. As such, the spectator will know wherehe/she is in relation to the layout of the venue.

These GPS coordinates can enable the spectator to locate him/herself inrelation to specific facilities at the live sporting event. For example,the transmitter 14 can transmit to the electronic devices 16 in thewireless RF transmission cartographic data. For example, thecartographic data provides a map of the venue and shows the location onsome key facilities such as washrooms, food vendors, medical/emergencyfacilities, exits, etc . . . . The electronic device 16 then stores thisdatabase in its memory 102, such that it can be easily accessed by theprocessor 100. As such, when GPS coordinates are produced a portion ofthe map or the map in its entirety is shown on the display screen 802,depending on the zoom level, identifying the location of the spectator.The locations of these facilities can then also be displayed on the mapof the venue along with the GPS coordinates of the spectator. In thismanner, the spectator would be able to locate him/herself in relation tothese facilities.

The facilities can be displayed on the map of the venue in the form ofsymbols, or text. Preferably, the symbols or text would be indicative ofthe service/facility that is located at that area on the map. Forexample, the medical/emergency facilities may be depicted on the map viaa red cross, the washroom facilities may be depicted by a W/C sign, orthe traditional man and woman signs, the food facilities may be depictedby a knife and fork symbol, etc . . . . In addition, the location of theelectronic device 16 can also be depicted on the map via an icon, suchas a star, for example, such that the spectator knows where he/she is inrelation to the other facilities depicted on the map. In an alternativeembodiment, the position of the electronic device 16 may just bedepicted via a flashing dot.

In order to avoid the map being overcrowded with symbols for each of thedifferent facilities available, the spectator could select whichfacilities to display on the map by a specific type of facility from amenu. For example, if a spectator needs to find the washrooms, they mayaccess the map of the venue and have the icons associated with thewashrooms appear on the map, as well as an icon associated with theposition of the spectator. In that manner, the spectator will have aclear indication as to where the closest washroom is located.

In yet another possibility, the electronic device 16 may be equippedwith software that enables the electronic device 16 to provide thespectator with directions as to how to get to a certain location. Forexample, based on the GPS coordinates of the electronic device 16, andthe GPS coordinates of a selected location stored in the GPS coordinatesdatabase, the processor 100 can use the direction software to determinethe best route to get from where the spectator currently is, to thedesired location. These directions can then be displayed to thespectator on the electronic device 16 screen. The manner in which thespectator requests directions can be done in a variety of ways withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention. In one example, thespectator may simply access a directions menu on the user interface, andselect from a list of options such as “directions to the washrooms”,“directions to the nearest exit”, “directions to the hot dog stand” etc.Alternatively, the spectator could highlight a specific facility icondepicted on the screen via up/down buttons on the keypad, and then hitan “enter” button in order to select that icon. The directions softwarewould then provide directions to the facility associated with theselected icon. The directions provided to the user can be in the form ofa text listing the route to follow or in the form of arrows showing apath to follow on the map of the venue.

The electronic device 16 may also enable the spectator to storeuser-defined GPS coordinates into its memory 102. This may be desirablein the case where the spectator wants to remember specific locations atthe venue. For example, in the case where a spectator parks his/her carin the stadium's parking lot, upon exiting the car, the spectator maychoose to store the GPS coordinates associated with the location of thecar in the memory 102 of the electronic device 16. This could be done byinvoking the GPS feature on the user interface, and then selecting a“store coordinates” option from a menu item with the appropriateselection keys. The coordinates could then be confirmed and stored bypressing an “enter” key. Those coordinates can then be associated withany suitable icon displayed on the map, thus allowing the spectator toquickly and conveniently find the location of the car. As such, thespectator enters a command on the user interface of the electronicdevice 16 to recall the stored location information and show theposition on the display with relation to a map of the venue. Anadvantage of this feature could be that at the end of the live sportingevent, when the spectator wants to find his/her car, they would then beable to use the directions feature, as described above, to getdirections from their current location, back to the GPS coordinatesassociated with their car.

Event related contextual information is information relating to theevent held at the venue. In the example of a race car event, thefollowing is considered to be event related contextual information:

-   -   List of the racing teams;    -   Profile of individual drivers;    -   Current standings in the championship;    -   Information about settings of one or more cars participating in        the car race;    -   Information about the regulations governing the car race

The venue or event related contextual information could be delivered tothe spectator over a dedicated channel that the spectator can select forviewing at his/her leisure. The channel selection is effected asdescribed earlier. Alternatively, the venue or event related contextualinformation could be embedded in the video content of a principal videochannel.

The ancillary content provided to the spectator over the wireless RFtransmission can also include:

-   -   News—Relates to different types of news service, such as        “breaking news”, weather information and economic information,        among others. The news information can be delivered to the        spectator as in the case of the venue or event related        information.    -   Trivia/Surveys/Games—Provides the spectator with trivia        questions, or surveys or games in order to keep the spectator        occupied during down-time at the event.    -   Meteorological/Environmental information—This information would        provide the spectator with current weather information and a        forecast for future weather conditions. This may be particularly        useful at outdoor events where spectators want advance notice if        it is going to start raining or snowing. The environmental        information may provide the spectator with environmental        conditions associated with the live sporting event. For example,        in the case of a golf game, the environmental information may        include the speed and direction of the wind, the slope of the        green, or any other conditions that might affect the game.    -   Shopping information—Provides the spectator with information        allowing the spectator to purchase products or services related        to the live sporting event, such as T-shirts, caps, etc.

The electronic device 16 may include a spectator preference profile suchthat the electronic device 16 provides the spectator with ancillary dataaccording to rules outlined by the spectator. The ancillary datapreference profile may be stored in the memory 102 or the storage mediareader/writer 106 such that it can be accessed by the processor 100. Thepreference profile would advise the processor 100 of what ancillary datathe spectator is most interested in, and how the spectator would like tohave the ancillary data presented. The following is an example of somerules that outline a specific spectator's ancillary data preferenceprofile:

1. Provide a spectator with News information at all times in a tickertype of format at the bottom of the screen

2. Each time the score, or rankings, change, display a screen showingthe current standings for 10 seconds.

3. During the idle time in the event or game (such as half time or afootball game) display to the spectator any trivia games or spectatorsurveys.

The software that runs the electronic device 16 includes a module thatprovides the function of an ancillary data selector. The ancillary dataselector decides which type of ancillary data to present to thespectator based on the preference profile. For example, based on thepreference profile information, the electronic device 16 will presentthe ancillary data in the manner outlined in the preference profile.

In this fashion, the spectator is presented with the ancillary data thatis the most relevant or of most interest to him/her. The user interfaceof the electronic device 16 can be designed to allow the spectator tostop the presentation of ancillary data at any time, via menu optionspresented to the spectator.

5. Profile based content management

The electronic device 16 is designed to implement profile based contentmanagement. The memory 102 of the electronic device 16 includes datathat defines a profile. On the basis of this data the electronic device16 can filter the video, audio or data being displayed to the spectator.In one form of implementation, the wireless RF transmission issued bythe transmitter 14 conveys generic spectator content that is the samefor a group of electronic devices 16 or for all the electronic devices16 that receive the wireless RF transmission. The spectator profile inone or more of the electronic devices 16 filters the generic content tocreate a spectator specific content. The spectator specific content candiffer from the spectator generic content in many possible ways. Forexample, the spectator profile is set to prevent access to certaincontent in the generic spectator content. In another example, thespectator profile changes the way the content in the generic spectatorcontent is presented to the spectator. Several possibilities arediscussed below in greater detail.

In a specific example, the profile defines a spectator category amongseveral possible spectator categories. For instance the profile mayallow for gender-based classification, such as male and female. Inanother possibility the profile is designed such as to create age-basedclassification. Yet another possibility is to create revenue-basedclassification where spectators are classified according to the amountof personal income. Another possible option is to define a profile basedon personal preferences, such as:

My preferred racing team;

The type of food preferred;

Type of automobiles the spectator is interested in;

The profile data loaded in the memory 102 via the graphical andnavigational layer. The spectator is presented with an informationscreen inviting the spectator to answer questions that will define theprofile. The number of questions necessary to define the profile can beminimal, such as requiring the spectator to specify “male” or “female”or larger in the case of more complex profile structures.

The profile can be designed to be defined only once or it can be updatedover time. Simple profile structures such as gender-based ones will needto be defined only once and as long as the same spectator keeps theelectronic device 16 no change will be required. More complex profilestructures may need adaptation more often. Profiles based on spectatorchoices will likely change to reflect the spectator's changingpreferences over time. In the case of sophisticated spectator profiles,for instance those that factor events or conditions occurring atspecific auto racing events, the profile will need to be updated by thespectator at each particular event.

Based on these spectator profiles, the advertisement that is conveyed tothe spectator can be oriented towards their specific profiles orinterests. Likewise, the type of merchandise that is presented mostprominently in the shopping catalogue can also be geared towards aspectator's specific profile.

Content management based on spectator profile implies handling thecontent differently depending on the data in the profile. The readerwill appreciate that a wide variety of options exist. The followingspecific examples illustrate the concept:

-   -   The profile in the electronic device 16 is defined on the basis        of age group. Three age classes exist: (1) up to 25 years        old; (2) from 26 to 60 years old and (3) from 61 and above. The        advertisement content is structured according to the age based        classification. Specifically, the advertisement content includes        three streams, each tailored to a specific age group. When an        advertisement is to be played, the spectator only sees the        stream that corresponds to the profile data stored in the memory        102. In addition, the products featured most prominently in the        shopping catalogue may also be structured according to the age        based classification. For example, for the first age class,        T-shirts and hats may be featured most prominently, while for        the second age group, more expensive items, such as signed        collector's items, may be featured most prominently.    -   The profile in the electronic device 16 is defined on the basis        of amount of venue or event contextual information the spectator        would like to receive. Say the profile allows for two levels of        information, one being low and one high. The venue or event        contextual information that is sent to the electronic device 16        is structured as independent streams, one containing more        information than the other such that the stream presented to the        spectator is the one that matches the profile data stored in the        memory 102.    -   The profile in the electronic device 16 is based on racing teams        the spectator is most interested in. For example, the profile        allows the spectator to specify three teams of interest in the        order of preference, such as team A, team B and team C. The        video feeds that are broadcasted to the electronic device 16        include views from cameras in all the racing vehicles. The        profile data based on team preference will allow the spectator        to define an order of preference in which the video feeds will        appear on the screen of the electronic device 16 when the        spectator switches “channels”. For instance the default view        will be the video feed from the vehicle camera of team A. When        the spectator switches to another video feed, the video feed        that appears on the screen of the electronic device 16 is the        one from team B. The next view will be the one from team C.    -   Service level profile. This profile will allow the spectator to        access only the services that the spectator paid for. For        example, the spectator may have opted to access the financial        news service during the live sporting event and paid a premium        for this service. The spectator profile data in the memory 102        of the electronic device 16 reflects this choice and enables the        electronic device 16 to deliver the financial news service for        viewing on the screen. When a service level profile is used it        is preferred to design the spectator profile structure that is        stored in the memory 102 of the electronic device 16 in a manner        such that the spectator cannot freely change the service level        portion of the profile. The service level portion of the profile        can be altered remotely, such as for example by sending along        with the authentication information used to unlock the        electronic devices 16, data indicating which service level is        associated with a particular electronic device 16. Specifically,        this can be done by broadcasting the block of identifiers and        sending with each identifier a code identifying the service        level for the electronic device 16 associated with the        identifier. When the electronic device 16 unlocks itself by        matching an identifier being broadcast to its own identifier, it        reads the service level identification code and stores it as        spectator profile data in the memory 102. At this point, the        spectator profile data will dictate which service the spectator        can access and which service is blocked.

The manner in which the data in the profile stored in the memory 102manages the content delivered to the electronic device 16 can vary andmany implementations are possible. The profile data is a data structureand that data structure is associated with the structure of the contentdelivered to the electronic device 16 to effect the content management.In this type of implementation, the content is structured as acollection of individual components that can be handled as per the datain the profile. In the case of the first example, where the profile isbased on age groups, the advertisement content is conveyed as threeseparate streams, and depending on the data stored in the profile onlythe respective stream will be displayed. In the second example, theevent or venue contextual information is conveyed as two separatestreams, one stream containing more information than the other.

FIGS. 7 to 18 are more detailed examples of the operation of theelectronic device 16, showing in particular menu possibilities anddifferent types of information that can be delivered. It should beexpressly noted that the above are merely examples that should not beused to limit the scope of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a root menu page allowing the spectator to access differenttypes of functions and content of the electronic device 16.Specifically, the spectator can select at the top of the screen the“live video” option that leads to a set of live video channels. Belowthis option are other options, some of which will de detailed:

-   -   Scanner—allowing access to the independent audio feeds, such as        radio traffic between drivers and teams, audio commentary, etc.    -   Timing and scoring—this option page is selected from the page at        FIG. 12. The timing and scoring page provides information of the        type shown in the drawing such as best lap, lag, etc. Additional        information may also include number of laps completed, number of        laps to go, among others;    -   Results—allowing access to a results page;    -   Event info—by selecting this option the spectator accesses a        sub-menu shown in FIG. 7. The sub-menu has a number of options,        some of which will be described below:        -   Site—shows a map of the venue, as seen in FIG. 8. The            spectator has the option to zoom on different sections of            the map. The map is divided in quadrants and the each can be            highlighted. Currently, the upper left quadrant is            highlighted. By selecting the highlighted quadrant the zoom            function is enabled for that quadrant, as shown at FIG. 9.        -   Track—shows info regarding the track, as seen in FIG. 11.        -   Schedule—shows schedule information, as seen in FIG. 10.        -   Champ car info—referring back to FIG. 12, by selecting this            option the spectator accesses a sub-menu. The sub-menu has a            number of options, some of which will be described below:        -   Drivers—by selecting this option the spectator has access to            a list of drivers as shown at FIG. 13. By highlighting and            selecting a driver in the list the spectator can access a            detailed page of that particular driver, as seen for example            at FIG. 14.        -   Standings—by selecting this option the spectator has access            to a current standings list, as shown at FIG. 15;        -   Teams—by selecting this option the spectator has access to a            list of the teams participating at the event, as shown at            FIG. 16. The spectator has the option to highlight a            particular team in the list and access a more detailed page            showing additional information on the selected team.        -   Race technical—referring back to FIG. 12, by selecting this            option the spectator accesses a sub-menu shown at FIG. 17,            providing information about the race.

6. Automatic/Forced Video Switching

In one embodiment the electronic device 16 is designed such as toprovide automatic video channel sequencing such as to present to thespectator a perspective of the event that is of most interest to thespectator. For example, the spectator may wish to visually follow aparticular car on the track. Without any automation, the spectator isrequired to manually switch video channels such as to keep the car ofinterest always in view. This may not be optimal for obvious reasons.The electronic device 16 under the present invention provides amechanism allowing to automatically sequence through the video channelssuch as tracking a moving object, such as a vehicle on the race track.Several options to implement this feature exist. Examples are discussedbelow:

-   -   Video channel switching based on commands in the wireless RF        transmission—the content production team determines, for each        car, what is the optimal viewing channel at any given moment.        This can be done manually or automatically. Video channel        switching commands are then sent to the individual electronic        devices 16 in the wireless RF transmission. For example, for a        given car, say car A the data being sent to the electronic        devices 16 contains a field that specifies the video channel        that provides the optimal viewing. The information in this field        is updated continuously as the car moves on the track. If        automatic sequencing is enabled at the electronic device 16, the        electronic device 16 will show on the display screen 802 the        video channel that is being specified in the data field. The        software running the electronic device 16 is continuously        looking for the video channels switching commands in the        wireless RF transmission and when those commands are observed        the display is switched to the new video channel.    -   Video channel switching based on car displacement information        (speed information). The electronic device 16 receives data        contained in the wireless RF transmission that defines a group        of video channels for use in automatic sequencing. The data will        specify the following parameters that are determined before the        car race starts:        -   Which are the channels to use for sequencing, say channel A,            channel B and channel C;        -   The sequence - switch from channel A to channel B and then            to channel C and then start again;        -   The field of view of each channel, the field of view being            expressed in terms of track distance. For example, channel            A's field of view is of 5 km of track distance, channel B's            field of view is of 7 km of track distance and channel C's            field of view is of 9 km of track distance.

The spectator at the electronic device 16 starts watching the event andsees a car that the spectator would like to track automatically. Thespectator specifies (via menu selection or other the car to track),waits until the car is in the field of view of any of the channels A, Bor C and then activates the automatic tracking feature. The automatictracking feature invokes a car tracking software that uses an algorithmthat will read the speed of the car that was specified by the real timedata that is continuously broadcasted and determine based on a simplespeed versus distance computation, the time when the car will exit thefield of view of the currently watched channel. Specifically, in thecase of channel C, the algorithm computes the time required for the carto travel 9 km which is the field of view of the channel. After thiscomputation is completed, an internal clock is started. When the timeinterval elapses, the algorithm issues video channel switching commandto switch video channels automatically according to the switching orderspecified. The same operation is repeated continuously. Assuming thatthe speed of the car is reported with a reasonable accuracy, the timingof the video channels switching events can be dynamically controlledsuch that to maintain the car always in view for the spectator.

-   -   Video channel switching based on car displacement information        (position coordinates information). This approach is somewhat        similar to the example above except that the video channel        switching is effected on the basis of coordinates of the car        reported in the real-time data being broadcast. Specifically,        the coordinates information can be obtained from a Global        Positioning System (GPS) in each car, delivered to the head end        12 and then broadcast in the wireless RF transmission to each        electronic device 16. The video channels in the sequencing group        are characterized by a field of view covering a range of        coordinates. The spectator simply specifies the car to be        tracked. On the basis of the coordinates of the car of interest,        the algorithm determines in which video channel coordinates        range the car is located and then switches to that channel        automatically. At each coordinate update received in the        wireless RF transmission, the same operation is performed and if        the car is now in the field of view of a different channel then        the algorithm performs the switching accordingly.

In another embodiment the electronic device 16 is designed such as toprovide a forced video channel switching when an important eventdevelops on the race track. For example, if an accident occurs thespectators of the electronic devices 16 are likely to be interested toswitch immediately to the video channel that conveys images of theaccident. This process can be facilitated by introducing in the wirelessRF transmission a flag to designate the video channel that will show thebest possible angle of such priority event. Typically the technician atthe content production station 20 will identify the video channel thatbest shows the action and will introduce in the wireless RF transmissiona flag which will mark the channel. The flag can be any type of data.For instance the flag can be the channel identifier. When the electronicdevice 16 receives the flag, the software interprets it and it causesthe display to automatically switch to the video channel designated. Ifdesired, a feature can be provided to allow this automatic video channelswitching to be disabled, in the case the spectator is not interested bythis feature.

Yet, in another possible variant, the automatic video switching iseffected on a basis of a certain characteristic associated with thecompetition, such as for instance, a particular position of aparticipant in the event. For example, the position can be the leadposition, thus causing the electronic device 16 to automatically switchvideo channels to show continuously the leader of the race. As with theprevious example, the technician at the head end 12 manually or with theassistance of automated tools identifies which video channel best showsthe leader of the race and inserts a suitable flag in the wireless RFtransmission. The electronic device 16 is programmed in turn to play thevideo channel that is associated with the flag. Therefore, when the flagchanges, in other words it is shifted from one video channel to theother, the electronic device 16 will switch on the display screen 802video channels accordingly.

In another possible variant, the electronic device 16 has bidirectionalwireless communication capabilities. Therefore, the electronic device 16can receive information wirelessly and also send information wirelessly.FIG. 19 illustrates a bidirectional communication system according to anon-limiting example of implementation.

Assume for the sake of this example that a set 100 of electronic devices16 are located at a live sporting event, say a car race. The electronicdevices 16 all receive the wireless RF transmission from the head end12. The electronic devices 16 can also communicate individually with aremote entity via a cellular network 102. In this example, the cellularnetwork 102 has two cellular towers 104 and 106 located away from oneanother such as to provide adequate reception coverage from anyone ofthe electronic devices 16 at the live sporting event. Each electronicdevice 16 is provided with the functionality allowing it to establishcommunication over the air interface with the cellular network 102. Thisfunctionality includes a transmitter and a receiver sections that cancommunicate in the same manner as a cellular telephone. Since thistechnology is generally well understood it will not be described here.Another possibility that can be used instead of a cellular network is aWiFi network or any other cellular type infrastructure allowingindividual wireless communication to take place between each electronicdevice 16 and a remote entity.

It is not necessary, nor even preferred to provide the communicationchannels from the electronic devices 16 toward the cellular network 102with the same bandwidth as the bandwidth of the link between the headend 12 and the handheld electronic devices 16. In practice, the amountof information that needs to be sent from the individual handheldelectronic devices 16 is small and does not require the amount of datacarrying capacity the wireless RF transmission from the head end 12needs.

7. On-line shopping and games

The wireless bidirectional communication capability allows providingincreased interactivity for the spectator and thus enhancing itentertainment experience. Specific examples will be discussed below.

-   -   Online shopping over the electronic device 16—The concept of        delivering to the electronic device 16 an electronic catalog was        discussed previously. The availability of a bidirectional        communication allows the spectator to select merchandise to        purchase and electronically complete an online purchase. Assume        for the sake of this example that the spectator wishes to access        the on-line shopping information such as the electronic catalog        in order to make a purchase of a souvenir, say a T-shirt with        the logo of his/her favorite racing team. The electronic catalog        having been loaded previously, as it was described earlier, the        spectator accesses the catalog via the user interface 800. This        may be done by pressing one or more dedicated buttons on the        spectator interface 800 or via a menu item on the GUI of the        electronic device 16. Once the electronic catalog has been        accessed, the spectator navigates to the desired item by buttons        on the user interface 800. At that point the spectator makes the        selection and proceeds to a checkout page. The checkout process        can be designed in a number of different ways. The first        possibility is to require the spectator to enter the necessary        information such that the on-line transaction can be completed.        This information includes, his/her name, payment instrument such        as credit card details, shipping address information, among        others. This information is entered by the spectator by using        buttons on the user interface 800. Note that the example of the        user interface shown in FIG. 3 would require to be expanded to        include the necessary alphanumeric characters to allow such data        entry to be made. After completion of all the fields on the        checkout page the electronic device 16 communicates over the        cellular network 102 with a remote server 108 to complete the        transaction. The session would include transmitting to the        server 108 the information contained in the checkout page, such        as the article or service to be purchased, the payment        information and shipping address information. At this point the        transaction is completed and the spectator will receive its        merchandise via the selected delivery method. Another        possibility to effect the on-line transaction is to store on the        server 108 (or any other network server that communicates with        the server 108) the necessary information on the spectator such        as to avoid having the spectator enter the data via the        electronic device 16. This possibility is discussed in greater        detail in connection with FIG. 21. Specifically, the server 108        contains user records associated with different spectators,        where each user record includes an identifier for authentication        purposes, payment instrument for on-line transactions, shipping        address, etc. In such case, the checkout process would involve        sending over the cellular network 102 the identification of the        article or service the spectator wants to purchase and the        spectator identifier to allow the server 108 to retrieve the        correct user record. The second possibility is arguably more        practical because it avoids the necessity of typing on the user        interface 800 a lot of information.    -   Trivia/Survey/Games. This option was discussed earlier in        connection with the embodiment having a unidirectional        communication capability. The bidirectional communication can        significantly enhance the interactivity of the spectator's        experience. Several examples can be provided to illustrate this.        In a first example, the spectator is presented with a trivia        game that includes a number of questions associated with the        live sporting event or a participant of the event. The questions        are shown on the display of the handheld electronic device 16        and they are extracted from data that is transported in the        wireless RF transmission. The spectator may answer selections by        operating buttons on the user interface 800. There may be a        series of questions or a single one. The answers are collected        and when all the questions have been answered the answers are        sent to the server 108. The process is illustrated by the        flowchart on FIG. 20. Step 200 shows the process of embedding        the data necessary to generate the trivia game questions in the        wireless RF transmission. This is done by the head end 12. The        data can be stored in the database 602. At step 202 the        individual electronic devices 16 receive the data, generate the        questions on the display and the spectators enter responses in        the respective electronic devices 16. Multiple blocks are shown        for step 202 to indicate that multiple electronic devices 16 are        involved in the process. At step 204 each individual electronic        device 16 sends the responses to the server 108 over the        cellular network 102. At step 206 the server 108 processes the        responses and then takes some type of action on the basis of the        processing. The type of action that can be selected depends on        the particular game strategy. Examples include:        -   Forwarding to each electronic device 16 information            indicating the correctness of the responses. Such            information is conveyed over the cellular network 102. This            approach allows conveying to each spectator a personalized            message, such as his/her score.        -   Compiling the responses from individual electronic devices            16 and ranking the participants in terms of score. The score            is sent to the individual electronic devices 16 over the            cellular network 102. Therefore, a electronic device 16 can            receive the list of highest ranking participants, such as            the top 10 participants;        -   Awarding a prize for the highest score and notifying the            particular electronic device 16 of the win;        -   Using the wireless RF transmission to send the information            on the basis of the processing to the electronic devices 16.            This approach does not allow a personalized message but can            still be used to present to spectators information on the            trivia/survey, such as for example, the list of highest            ranking participants and/or the correct answers to trivia            questions or in the case of a survey the compiled results of            the survey.

Another possibility is to tie the trivia or survey questions to actionoccurring at the live sporting event. For example;

-   -   In the case of a car race when an accident occurs, a question is        sent to each electronic device 16 identifying the participants        involved and asking who is at fault;    -   In the case of a hockey/football or soccer game asking a        question as to whether the call of the referee is correct. For        instance in the case of a hockey game, when a player is given a        penalty, the question asks if the penalty call was correct. In        this fashion, the spectators that have the electronic devices 16        can vote on referee calls during the actual game.    -   In the case of a hockey/football/soccer game asking at the end        of the game or at the end of a period to identify the player        that played the best or was the most useful to his team during        the game/period. In this fashion, the spectators that have the        electronic devices 16 can vote on player's behavior or        performance during the actual game.

The results of the processing of the responses received by the server108 can be handled as discussed, earlier, in other words, a feedback isprovided to the individual electronic devices 16 either via the cellularnetwork 102 or the wireless RF transmission. Yet another option is topublicly announce or display results. In the case of live sportingevents held in a stadium or a similar infrastructure that usually hassome type of large display screen, the results of the processing can bedisplayed on the large screen for everyone to see. For example, themessage displayed may say that the survey indicates the call of thereferee is wrong or that the best player for the period is player X. Theinformation that is to be displayed on the screen or otherwise announcedto the audience can be generated from the server 108 and sent to thedisplay apparatus in any suitable way. The transmission can be wirelessor wire line in the case the server 108 is local to the display.

The electronic device 16 can also be provided with a game playfunctionality that does not require a bidirectional communication.Several examples can be provided to illustrate this variant. Forinstance, the wireless RF transmission can be designed as a vehicle toconvey data that enables the electronic device 16 to acquire game playfunctionality. Specifically, the head end 12 can be designed to generatevideo game data which is carried by the wireless RF transmission andreceived by the individual electronic devices 16. The video game datacontains program code for execution by the processor 100 to enable thespectator to play a video game on the display screen 802. The video gamethat is used for the entertainment of the spectator has images that canbe manipulated on the display screen 802. The video game is controlledvia the user interface 800. The various buttons of the user interfaceare assigned functions for interacting with and manipulating the imageson the display screen 802.

Another option is to pre-load in the electronic device 16 the video gamedata and only send via the wireless RF transmission data that willenable the game play functionality by “unlocking” the execution of thevideo game data. In other words, the spectator is normally preventedfrom playing the video game, unless the data to unlock the game isreceived via the wireless RF transmission.

The above discussed options are not strictly limited to video games andcan be extended to trivia games/surveys etc. In other words, the gamecan be loaded or enabled by the wireless RF transmission, as describedearlier. When the electronic device 16 is provided with a bidirectionalcommunication functionality, the responses to the game questions, surveyor voting can be output as discussed above.

It is also possible to time the game play functionality according to theevolution of the live sporting event. For instance the game playfunctionality of the electronic devices 16 can be enabled only when apredetermined event occurs during the live sporting event. One suchevent is a pause during which the action is stopped.

Another non-limiting example of implementation of the invention is shownat FIG. 21. In this example the individual electronic devices 16 can beset up for an upcoming event before the event occurs such that theelectronic device 16, at the event site, is already programmed andcontains the event specific information. After the user purchases theelectronic device 16 the user sets a user account, typically with thebusiness organization that delivers the service during live sportingevents.

8. Online service purchase

The electronic device 16 is connected to the Personal Computer (PC) 300of the user via the USB port 104 that connects to the electronic deviceinterface of the PC 300. The electronic device interface of the PC 300can be a USB port on the PC 300. The diagram at FIG. 21 assumes the PC300 can communicate over the Internet 302 with a server 304. The PC 300has a data network interface allowing data communication to take placeover the data network 302 which in this example is the Internet. In aspecific and non-limiting example of implementation the data networkinterface is an Ethernet connection. The PC 300 has a user interfaceallowing the user to receive information from the PC 300 and to inputinformation in the PC 300. The user interface includes a keyboard, adisplay screen and a pointing device. Evidently other forms of userinterface can be utilized without departing from the spirit of theinvention. The PC is also provided with a processor and a memory inwhich is stored program data for execution by the processor. Asindicated earlier, the PC is connected over the Internet 302 or anyother network with the server 304. The server 304 has a computingplatform (not shown) having a processor and memory, the processorexecuting software that implements the functionality of the server 304.To enable data communication between the computing platform and the datanetwork 302, the server 304 is provided with a data communicationinterface (not shown) that is under the control of the computingplatform. The computing platform directs the exchange of informationwith the PC 300 via the data communication interface.

After the connections have all been established, the server 304 sends tothe PC 300 data that in conjunction with the program data executed bythe processor presents to the user information via the user interfaceallowing the user to electronically purchase and specify services to bedelivered to the electronic device 16. From the user's perspective, theuser is directed to a web site (hosted by the server 304) and presentedwith a screen of the type shown in FIG. 22. The web site allows the userto set up an account, manage a personal profile and purchase thedelivery of services to the electronic device 16 for one or more livesporting events. Assume for the sake of this example that the user mustcreate a new account with the server 304. At this end the user isprompted by the PC 300 in response to data sent by the server 304 toselect account identification information allowing him/her to securelyaccess the account. The account identification information can be a username 308 and a password 310. Once the user name 308 and the password 310have been selected or accepted by the user in the case they areautomatically generated by the server 304, they will be required by theserver 304 to allow the user to access again his/her account.

Next, the user is requested to provide personal information such as:

-   -   Name 312;    -   Address 314;    -   Payment instrument 316 such as a credit card number and        expiration date and possibly a security code. The payment        instrument 316 is used to pay for the service delivered to the        electronic device 16 during the live sporting event and also to        pay for merchandise purchased during the live sporting event, as        previously described.    -   Shipping address information 317 for on-line shopping. The        shipping address is the address at which merchandise purchased        by the user, as described previously, will be shipped;    -   Language in which the on-line account is to be set.

In addition to the information provided by the user an electronicexchange of information takes place between the electronic device 16 andthe server 304. The electronic exchange of information includes thetransfer to the server 304 of the unique electronic identifier of theelectronic device 16. Such electronic identifier was discussedpreviously and it is in the form of a hard coded identifier. In thisexample the identifier is submitted to the PC 300 when the electronicdevice 16 is connected to it via the USB interface 104 and it isautomatically sent to the server 304. Note that the PC 300 may requirethe use of software that will be able to communicate with the electronicdevice 16 such as to extract the hard coded identifier from it andtransfer it to the server 304 when the user is creating or accessing hisrecord.

The record that is created at the server 304 has three elements ofinformation that allow distinguish it from other records. Those elementsof information are (1) the user name; (2) the password and (3) theidentifier of the electronic device 16 associated with that user nameand password. Note that a possibility exists to assign more than oneelectronic device 16 with a given record or account.

The next step in the creation of the account is for the user to specifycertain preferences that will allow tailoring the service according topersonal choices. The page at FIG. 22 has an “Options” button 315 thatwhen “clicked” directs the user to the “Options” page shown at FIG. 23.At that page, the user can specify advertisement options 318 suchwhether advertisement is desired or not, the type of advertisement to bedelivered, namely the nature of the products and services of interest tothe user. In a simple case, the user can enter a gender such that theadvertisement will be tailored accordingly. In a more detailed example,the user can specify a level or revenue, level of education, subjects ofinterests, geographical location and language, among others. Thatinformation can then be used to build a filter allowing tailoring theadvertisement information to be delivered to the user. In a non-limitingexample of implementation, the filter is built by the server 304 anduploaded to the electronic device 16 via the PC 300. The filter is inthe form of a file that resides on the electronic device 16 and when theadvertisement information is received in the wireless RF transmissionduring the live sporting event the filter will condition whatinformation is to be delivered to the user. The filter can block certainadvertisements, select a language in which the advertisement will bedelivered, etc.

In a possible variant, the user can specify other preferences thatrelate to information received during the event that is other thanadvertisement. For instance, the user can specify preferred teams orplayers to allow delivering information to the user during the livesporting event in a way that is consistent with those preferences. FIG.23 shows a button 320 “My team” that allows access to a different page(not shown) where those preferences can be specified. That informationis then used by the server 304 to build another filter to be stored onthe electronic device 16 that will condition the information receivedduring the live sporting event. One specific example of suchconditioning is the order in which information on the teams or playersis presented to the user. The menu of choices that provides moredetailed info on the teams or players is altered on the basis of thefilter such that the teams or players that have been specified as beingpreferred will be given a higher order of priority than teams or playersthat are less preferred. In this fashion the preferred teams or playerswill appear first, followed by those that are not indicated aspreferred.

Once the entries on the options page at FIG. 23 have been completed, theuser reverts back to FIG. 22 and presses the “on-line service purchase”button 319 that brings the user to the on-line service purchase page atFIG. 24. Here, the user will be requested to authenticate itself toenable the online purchase of delivery of service. The authenticationprompt appears on the PC 300 in response to an authentication requestdata issued by the server 304. The user then enters the authenticationinformation, such as the user name and password, which are transmittedto the server 304 for validation.

If the authentication data is genuine and accepted by the server 304,the user is then directed to a web page allowing the user to select thelive sporting event for which content delivery is desired and also totailor the content to be dispensed depending on the user's tastes andbudget. For example, the server 304 sends data to the PC 300 for causingthe PC 300 to show a control 322 allowing the user to select the eventfor which the service is to be purchased. The control 322 can be anysuitable control such as for instance a drop down menu box that providesthe list of all the events for which service can be purchased.

Once a particular event has been selected, then the server 304 sendsdata to the PC 300 causing the PC 300 to display to the user a control324 “service options” which requests the user to supply informationidentifying a level of service desired. Specifically, the serviceoptions control 324 allows the user to select service level among a setof levels. The various levels of service can vary based on content. Forexample the highest level allows access to all the content, such as livevideo streams, enabled GPS and on-line shopping functionality, weatherinformation, breaking news, etc. The level that is immediately below thehighest level provides all of that with the exception of the breakingnews service. The lowest level of service can be limited to live videoonly. It will be plain to a person skilled in the art that the number ofservice levels offered to a user and the way those service levels aredifferentiated from one another is a matter of design and can varywidely without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Once the various service selections have been completed, the useractivates the “pay” control 326. At that point, the server 304 willdetermine the amount of money the user is to be charged on the basis ofthe service level selection 324. Next, the server 304 will perform thepayment step of the process. Two possible options exist. One is tocharge the credit card provided by the user and that is currently onfile or any other payment instrument that was provided. The other optionis to send data to the PC 300 that will prompt the user to supplypayment instrument information, such as a credit card to be charged.This payment instrument information will be processed by the server 304to complete the payment step.

After the payment step has been completed, the server 304 will set upthe electronic device 16 for the live sporting event for which servicehas been purchased. The set up includes the following:

-   -   The server 304 will download to the PC 300 the necessary service        data, such as the data to set-up/alter the GUI of the electronic        device 16 and/or cartographic data for the venue, assuming GPS        functionality of the electronic device 16;    -   Ancillary data such as:        -   Advertisement content;        -   Venue or event related contextual content;        -   Shopping information such as an on-line catalog;        -   Trivia or surveys;        -   Video games;        -   Environmental/meteorological information;        -   News    -   Authentication information

In the case of the ancillary data, only the data that will be relevantor up to date when the event takes place should be downloaded. In orderto make the ancillary data appear as if it is “spontaneously” availableto the spectator during the event it may be designed to be available forviewing only when the user is at the event. For instance the data can be“hidden” from the user or designed in such as way that it cannot beaccessed by the user unless a “trigger” is input by the electronicdevice 16. Such trigger can be specific data included in the wireless RFtransmission that “unlocks” the hidden ancillary content. With thisapproach the ancillary data that is being downloaded to the PC 300, canbe customized according to the profile of the user. More specifically,the information can be requested when creating the user account tosubmit preference information. This type of information was discussedpreviously. The server 304 determines on the basis of the preferenceinformation what kind of ancillary data to download.

The downloading of authentication information allows to securely set upthe electronic device 16 for reception of services. For instance, thewireless RF transmission can be designed to be protected. Theauthentication information downloaded in the PC 300 and that istransferred to the handheld electronic device 16 allows to unlock thehandheld electronic device 16 at the live sporting event. Theauthentication information can be in the form of a user code (asdescribed below) or in the form of a decryption key (that can be uniqueto the electronic device 16 or common for all electronic devices 16 thatsubscribe for services for that particular live sporting event). Thedecryption key can be used to decrypt encrypted content in the wirelessRF transmission.

Once all the data for setting up the electronic device 16 has beendownloaded to the PC 300, the data is transferred to the electronicdevice 16 via the USB interface 104. At this point the electronic device16 is ready for use. When activated by the spectator at the livesporting event, the electronic device 16 will pick up the wireless RFtransmission and it will use the decryption key to adequately decode thedata. Also, the electronic device 16 will also detect in the wireless RFtransmission the “trigger” that will unlock for the spectator to see andaccess the latent ancillary data. Therefore, the spectator can seeadvertisement information, conduct on-line shopping etc.

The online transaction described earlier can be used as a mechanism tocommunicate to the server 304 the identity of the electronic device 16.So as users are performing on-line purchases of service delivery to therespective electronic devices 16, the server 304 is building a list ofthe electronic devices 16 that are authorized to receive the service.This list is kept a storage medium of the server 304, such as in adatabase (not shown). Just prior the live sporting event, the server 304that holds in its database the list of all the electronic devices 16(electronic identifiers) that have purchased service for the event,transfers the list to the authentication database 502. Those identifiersare then included in the wireless RF transmission as previouslydescribed.

The server 304 can also be designed to generate the user code describedearlier, which the spectator needs to enter on the user interface of thehandheld electronic device 16 in order to gain access to some or all ofthe content carried in the wireless RF transmission. The serverimplements the user code generator 1008 shown in FIG. 26. During theinteraction between the PC 300 and the server 304, the electronicidentifier 1002 is delivered to the server 304. The electronicidentifier 1002 is extracted by the authentication processor 1006 of thehandheld electronic device 16, communicated to the PC 300 and thentransmitted to the server 304. The user code generator 1008 receivesthis information and processes it along with the event code (single codeor compound code for multiple service levels) to produce a user code. Inthe case of a compound event code, which is made up of several differentservice level codes, the process is run several times with a differentservice level code at each cycle. The output of the process, which is auser code, is communicated back to the PC 300. The user code appears onthe display of the PC 300 such that the user can take note of it and canprint it or otherwise make note of it, or it can be sent in the form onan e-mail to the user to a specified e-mail address or via any othersuitable method. The user code can also be loaded directly in thehandheld electronic device 16 as described above. This obviates the needfor the user to manually enter the user code at the handheld electronicdevice 16. Note that in the case the user has created an account on theserver 304, the electronic identifier 1002 may be stored in the accountand there is no need to extract it from the handheld electronic deviceand communicate it to the server 304. In this form of implementation,the user logs on as described earlier and he/she automatically obtainsthe user code, that is computed by using the electronic identifier 1002stored in the account and the event code.

Note that another possibility to deliver a user code is via a telephonesystem. Here the user dials a predetermined number and when promptedenters the on the dial pad the electronic identifier 1002. The user codegenerator at the telephone processing site generates a user code on thebasis of the electronic identifier 1002 and the event code andcommunicates it to the user via voice synthesis. Also if an account forthe user is created at the telephone processing site, the electronicidentifier 1002 may be stored and there is no need to enter it again foreach transaction.

In a possible variant the electronic device 16 can be designed with awireless communication capability, such as via a Bluetooth technology ofWireless Fidelity (WiFi) technology to allow the electronic device 16 tocommunicate directly with the server 304 via any local wirelessreception station also called “hot spots”. In this fashion, theelectronic device 16 does not require a connection to PC 300 to be setup by the server 304. Under this variant, all the commands and serviceselection choices can be made directly from the electronic device 16.

Note that when the electronic device 16 is provided with bidirectionalcommunication capability, on-line purchases can be made by allowing theelectronic device 16 to communicate over a cellular network with theserver 304 over which the user record resides. Here, the on-linepurchasing process is as described earlier, where the spectatorattending the live sporting event chooses the product or service to buyand connects with the server 304 over the Internet 302 such as tocomplete the transaction. The transaction would include authenticatingthe user by providing a user ID and password. Assuming the paymentinstrument information and shipping information are already on record onthe user account, the transaction completes.

Although various embodiments have been illustrated, this was for thepurpose of describing, but not limiting, the invention. Variousmodifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art and arewithin the scope of this invention, which is defined more particularlyby the attached claims.

1) A handheld electronic device for use at a venue hosting a live sporting event, comprising: a) a receiver for receiving a wireless RF transmission containing a plurality of video streams conveying live sporting event content, the live sporting event content including moving images of action occurring at the live sporting event held at the venue; b) a display; c) a user interface for selecting a video stream among said plurality of video streams to be displayed on said display; d) said user interface allowing a spectator using the handheld electronic device to set a bookmark for marking a location in the video stream being displayed on said display. 2) A handheld electronic device as defined in claim 1, wherein at least two of the video streams are derived from cameras filming the live sporting event and convey different views of the action. 3) A handheld electronic device as defined in claim 2, wherein said handheld electronic device includes a buffer for buffering the video stream being displayed on said display, said handheld electronic device capable of processing video data in said buffer to implement a playback function allowing viewing on said display a video stream stored in said buffer at the location marked by the bookmark. 4) A handheld electronic device as defined in claim 3, wherein a set bookmark corresponds to a pointer in the buffer that marks the location. 5) A data structure embedded in a wireless RF signal, the wireless RF signal being intended for reception by a plurality of handheld electronic devices for use at a venue hosting a live sporting event, said data structure comprising: a) a plurality of video streams conveying live sporting event content, the live sporting event content including moving images of action occurring at the live sporting event held at the venue, the video streams for display at the handheld electronic devices; b) bookmark data for marking a location in one of the video streams. 6) A data structure as defined in claim 5, wherein at least two of the video streams are derived from cameras filming the live sporting event and convey different views of the action. 7) A data structure as defined in claim 6, wherein the handheld electronic devices have a video playback functionality, the bookmark data allowing a handheld electronic device to replay a video stream at the location marked by the bookmark data. 